A Constant Battle You Hate to Fight
by huapomme
Summary: Enemies to Friends to Lovers— "Waking up in time for dinner, huh?" The low baritone voice right by her ear caused her to jump and in a split second she instinctively punched the source of the sound. (rating bumped for chapter 13)
1. Chapter 1: Like Night and Day

This is an AU where after the ark Tyki goes to be with his friends. He's already cut his hair too, so it's the usual length.

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Lenalee had gone through a lot in her life: traumatic near death experiences, joyful reunions, heartbreaking goodbyes, and so much more. Despite that, nothing had ever been so hard to process as her current situation.

Tyki Mikk, the noah that had she had known to be a ruthless murderer, was seated across from her with an oddly non-threatening smile on his face. Waiting for something with his head casually resting in his palm — watching her.

The man's odd grin only widened when Lenalee scrunched her face in confusion. "What the—?" She asked tilting her head. "Why?"

To her surprise, two voices responded simultaneously. One being the noah across from her and the other her brother from the phone she held. The latter of the two, whom she had forgotten was there due to Tyki's sudden appearance, held precedence as Lenalee's first response was to tell her brother she was fine.

After wrapping up the call she aimed to figure out what the noah could possibly want. Although, that seemed to prove difficult as Komui only kept talking and asking more questions — making the conversation last much longer than she hoped it would have been. All the while, not taking her eyes off him, she saw Tyki grow a little more impatient as the call went on.

First, he started looking around at the simple wood decor. Then, he called a waitress over — ordering something she assumed. Next, Tyki began examining his nails and grooming them. Every so often, he would glance at Lenalee to see a sign that it was close to wrapping up — flashing a quick smile every time he met her quizzical purple gaze — then resume looking around. Once the waitress returned she saw he had ordered a plate of lemon squares¹.

Ending the conversation a short while later, Lenalee slowly lowered the phone's receiver to its base in her lap, not wanting to pull Tyki from his current distraction.

Rather than eat the dessert, the man in his twenties was setting a very mature example by playing with the food. It was an interesting sight to see for the exorcist. A noah, one of the order's enemies, crouched by a plate of sweets so concentrated that nothing else seemed to matter.

All of a sudden he looked distressed. Unconsciously Lenalee put her hand on his shoulder, but before she had the chance to as if he was alright, he did the last thing she would have thought he'd do.

He screamed.

Not a battle cry or anything the least bit menacing. No, it was more akin to a child that thought there was a monster behind them. High pitched and laced with terror. He looked at her and took a deep breath before letting out an exasperated sigh, "Warn me next time..." running a hand through his hair only to let it fall back down over his fake glasses.

"Next time?" Lenalee was taken aback. "What do you mean next time? You still haven't told me why you're here Mikk."

Rolling his eyes Tyki returned to his chair. "Actually, I did tell you why I'm here. You were just too busy it seemed."

"Mind sharing that with me again then?" She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

"No need to get all defensive. I'm not here to fight, lady exorcist!" He moved one arm over the back of the chair and splayed out as she crossed her arms. "I just wanna have fun," Tyki said nonchalantly with a wave of his free right hand. "You know, talk," he continued after a prolonged minute of silence.

"Talk about what, Mikk? We have nothing to talk about! Besides, you haven't had the decency to call me by my name this entire time, so if you don't mind—" The chair scraped harshly against the wood floor. "I'll be taking my leave."

"Hold on, the only reason I haven't used your name is because you haven't used mine!"

"Just leave me alone!" Lenalee shouted louder than intended, causing a scene she had been hoping to avoid. Everyone's eyes were on them — some looked shocked at her outburst while a few looked ready to jump to her aid.

Letting out a sigh Tyki rose and left without a word, his footsteps loud in the newfound silence. Once he was out, the small shops' inhabitants gradually resumed their activities. Lenalee waited before leaving herself. She was a bit flustered hearing the whispers of some that she walked by. Many seemed to think they were having a lovers quarrel.

This mission was a far bigger hassle than she had been expecting. The briefing was short and simple. She was to get the innocence from the small mining town. There hadn't been any signs to indicate that there were any akuma, much less noah. Therefore, Lenalee was the only one sent. All they knew was that whenever incidents that would normally cause fatalities like cave-ins and explosions occurred no one had died. The reports from finders did mention there were sometimes injuries, but they were never life threatening.

So why was a noah here? She thought and thought but couldn't it figure out.

Making her way to the inn that the order had made arrangements for beforehand proved to make her life harder. Because of the phone call and having the scene with Mikk, Lenalee wound up getting to the inn when the sun was setting. Her hopes of resting were dashed as the innkeeper told her that they sold her room since she arrived hours later than expected.

Checking the other two inns in the town Lenalee didn't have any better luck. Both had no vacancies as well. It wasn't much of a surprise to her, a mine where no one gets hurt is a godsend to workers. Only a complete idiot would pass up working there if they had the choice.

Resigning herself to sleeping outdoors she figured the best place to go would be outside of the town in the surrounding forest. She had done it before after all. While scouting for a decent place to sleep, Lenalee found quite a few abandoned buildings. Some were overcome by grassy fauna others were practically rubble.

The smell of something cooking in the distance caused her shoulders to sag and her mood to sour. Lenalee's stomach chose this time when she was tired and just wanted to sleep to remind her that she hadn't eaten since she was on the train that morning.

Following the smell, she found a rather well-kept house. From the looks of it, the people inside had been there for some time. Although, she wasn't sure that it was a permanent residence. There weren't any plants growing over it nor any signs of it deteriorating like many of the surrounding buildings. Lenalee decided it would have been better to have ignored the smell and find someplace to rest for the night. After all, she was a stranger and a girl alone in an unfamiliar area. It was not the best or safest decision the exorcist made and she knew it.

Walking away, she was startled by the door of the house swinging open. One tiny step without looking at her feet caused her to go tumbling to the ground. Not having enough time to catch herself left her with a fierce pain in her right shoulder. Before she realized it the one in the doorway was by her side.

It was a little boy about ten if she had to guess. "Are you alright?" He gently outstretched his hand to where she was gripping her shoulder. The light contact only intensified the pain. Retracting she whimpered realizing too late that moving it all caused the throbbing to build more. Vaguely she heard him calling out to someone.

Not much later Lenalee felt herself being lifted with care. Unable to fully register her surroundings with the pain she blacked out.

Coming back to reality, she saw a cracked ceiling. Dimly she noticed her jacket had been removed and a wet rag was on her forehead as well as her shoulder. The boy from before was by her side talking with a man in a knit cap. The room was lit by a lamp and some candles. It was also what she deduced, the house she had walked by from the familiar scent wafting throughout it.

"Waking up in time for dinner, huh?" The low baritone voice right by her ear caused her to jump and in a split second she instinctively punched the source of the sound.

A thud and he hit the ground. "You know you have a mean punch for someone who just had their shoulder put back in place," groaning the man sat up and she begrudgingly recognized that it was Tyki Mikk whom her fist collided with. Although that realization removed all the specks of guilt she might have had had it been anyone else. Lenalee had a whole new feeling of dread in her stomach now.

"Who's hungry?" The one in the kitchen came out with a pot. He stopped to take in the sight of the room. Tyki and the girl that their young companion found looking like they were ready to pick a fight with each other. Both nursed injuries, Tyki his jaw and Lenalee her shoulder. The other two only looked wide eyed at the scene about as dumbfounded as he was. "Do you two have a history or something?"

Huffing, Tyki got up and sat at the table where the pot was set down. Only giving an indiscernible noise to the question. Leaving Lenalee to answer.

"We have met before but I should be on my way. I didn't mean to intrude or cause trouble. Thank you for helping me with my shoulder. If I had been paying more attention this wouldn't have happened…" As she spoke she looked around for her uniform's top.

The little boy came and grabbed her hand, "You can sit there before you go." Pointing to one of the two chairs that was unoccupied, was her jacket laid folded over the back. "I'm Eeez, the one in the hat to Tyki's left is Clark. The one who made the food is Momo!"

Each exchanged a quick greeting as Eeez led her to the chair. She sat between the boy and Clark. She fidgeted with the loose string of her gloves as they talked with each other about their day. Tyki didn't say much though he definitely enjoyed the conversation, a mirthful smile on his face. Occasionally, he looked over to see Lenalee take a bite in silence.

Eeez looked to Lenalee, "What did you do today?"

"N-not much. I came here on the train a little before noon." She replied. "I talked to my brother on the phone and looked for a place to spend the night."

"You can stay here! I don't think they would mind, right guys?" Lenalee could have sworn Tyki almost choked. The other two took longer to process what he said.

"I think she already has a room Eeez. Not to mention she already said she should get going before we had dinner." Tyki said nonchalantly.

"My reservation was filled before I got there actually."

"That's too bad, maybe you should have got there sooner."

"I was late no thanks to you."

The copper haired friend of Tyki loudly cleared his throat, stopping their banter. Eeez once again suggested she stay with them not sensing the tension between the two. He helpfully reminded the group that since there were five mattresses in the house no one would have to share.

For half an hour the five went back and forth, deciding if Lenalee should stay the night. Momo and Clark didn't care whether she wanted to go or stay so they made arguments on both sides. Lenalee wasn't sure being in the same house as a noah was the best idea but none of them appeared to be bad people. Eeez was adamant that she stay and Tyki couldn't argue with the eleven-year-old and quickly caved in. The debate ended with her deciding to do the dishes and them finding a blanket for her to sleep with.

* * *

¹ I know that lemon squares' first known recipe was published in 1963 but I don't care.


	2. Chapter 2: Burning the Midnight Oil

This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic. And since everything is actually historically accurate this time I didn't see any reason to add footnotes but I did learn Grammarly is my best friend

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Tyki woke earlier than usual that day. The sun had yet to even rise.

Looking around he saw that meeting and having dinner with the green haired girl yesterday wasn't just a vivid dream. She was laying on the mattress on the other side of the room. He also realized that Eeez was curled against Lenalee. It would have been hard to spot the boy if it weren't for the little tuft of yellow hair sticking out from the blanket.

Admittedly, Tyki was jealous. Eeez usually came to him when he wanted company.

Lenalee didn't tell him why she was there. The thought weighed on his mind. Was she there because the Order found out he was there and were trying to get rid of more noah? If so why didn't she attack when she saw him at the cafe or kill him in his sleep? It didn't make sense and honestly, it was too annoying to spend so much time on.

Light flooded the room as birds started to sing. This was the man's cue to make sure his friends woke up on time. He didn't want to take very much time nor did he want to wake Eeez.

Lenalee woke up around seven that morning. The miners had left and Eeez had only been awake twenty minutes before her. She like Tyki pondered why he hadn't killed her while she slept. Although she chalked it up to him not wanting to have these humans to have questions about it.

Once she had readied for the day, she took Eeez out with her. They walked into town hand in hand per his request asking her questions all the way. By the time they arrived at the first street he knew that she was almost seventeen, her favorite food was chocolate cake among other things, and that she was almost as nice as Tyki, almost.

After Lenalee treated him to breakfast at a small shop she got to work. Asking the shop owners had been easy enough. Not many customers came during the day since most were at the mine. The owners weren't too helpful despite that. None of them knew why the mine was so lucky as of late. The residents who lived closer to the mine didn't add anything that she wasn't already aware of either.

It was discouraging but the boy with her was a refreshing presence. While they walked, Eeez told her about himself and the three he traveled with. Usually, he would go to the mines with them and help in the company's kitchen or with small jobs. They had the most fun when Tyki was there. It was easy for to tell that the "secret job" he had was his activities as a noah. From what Eeez said it didn't seem he left otherwise.

It would have been impossible to believe Eeez's favorite noah had killed anyone from how he was described. If she hadn't known his track record that is. The blond boy went over all the things he would do and each item on the list just seemed to make Eeez's face brighten more. She had to admit Tyki wasn't all bad. He wasn't big on fighting or doing more than he had to that was. He did like to gamble and have fun, that much she already knew. Overall, he seemed better suited to be the noah of indolence rather than pleasure in her opinion.

Eeez interrupted the stream of thoughts in her head, "Do you think we could go to the mines now Lenalee?"

She paused for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. That was the only place they hadn't gone within the town limits but Tyki was there. She wasn't keen on seeing the noah. How he acted changed each time they spoke, granted that was not a high number. Nevertheless, the only potentially useful information was with the miners. "I don't see why not."

Once there, Eeez left her side to find one of his caretakers. He let her know it was almost lunch for the workers before running off.

She wasn't able to get more than a meter before she was stopped by a miner. The man looked at her like she was an idiot for coming to the area. He didn't let her say anything before trying to send her off. Lenalee protested this; her words fell on deaf ears.

To say the past twenty-four hours had amassed pent up aggression in Lenalee would have been an understatement. She had been denied the hotel room she had a reservation for, had no information after going around nearly the entire town, her shoulder still ached, and she was now being forced off the premises. The gruff man wouldn't have made her so mad if just gave her a chance to speak. He made it worse by grabbing her shoulders and turning her around finishing his statement by telling her, "That this wasn't the place for a weak woman like her."

Her patience finally snapped. The exorcist swiveled on her heel ready to give him a piece of her mind when both heard an all too familiar voice calling out.

"Hey there Lenalee. What brings you here?" She could practically see Tyki's smug face though it was too far to see. The miner let her go as Tyki approached a pick axe slung over his shoulder.

The way he sauntered over was nothing new to her. On every occasion, he acted like he owned the place but this seemed out of place. Those that were exiting the mines looked at him like this was new, the few by her seemed extremely confused by the behavior.

He set the tool on the ground beside him and leaned against it. It honestly bugged her how casual and open he was being. Tilting his head he continued to grin at Lenalee expectantly.

Tyki was surprised to see the girl there. She was full of surprises to him and he was loving it. Being with the other noah brought new things at every turn but it felt completely different around her. He watched as Lenalee placed a hand on her hip and used the other to grab hold of one of his suspenders. "I don't know what your game is this time but I am _not_ playing it." Her voice was hushed and was close enough for Tyki to smell the pancakes she had eaten. "I may not have been able to fight on the ark so that means you've never seen me fight." It was clear from the beginning that Lenalee had the upper hand.

"No game." He said voice leveled, "And like I said, I don't want to fight. I just want to get to know you. I swear I mean no harm."

"I can't trust a noah. You're all liars and cheats."

He placed his hand over his chest to emphasize his next point. "Oh, I'm wounded that you would think—" Tyki was about to finish his reply to her resentful rhetoric when some of the workers began whistling at their proximity. "Excuse me, I'm trying to have a conversation here!" Some made crude comments directed at her or the possible nature of their relationship.

Lenalee released of Tyki's suspender, snapping it against him. The exorcist proceeded to turn and walk away. "I'll be here until my mission is over. Enjoy your lunch." She waved her hand in a dismissive manner not looking back to see the stunned look on his or the crowds.

Lunch was not at all enjoyable for the twenty-six-year-old as one would expect. He was berated by his friends and other workers about the cute girl he was talking to. It felt like years until Eeez found them in the dining hall and was able to fill in the details all the men wanted to know. It was clear to them she'd never go for a _boring guy like Tyki_ , they so eloquently put it. Momo and Clark repeatedly teased Tyki on how he dropped everything to talk to her.

The buzz died down once people saw her asking around about the mine. It was still amazing how she treated other people in comparison to Tyki. She had the usual air of grace but was more reserved around strangers. Lenalee kept her head held high when she moved, no sense of doubt in her step. On occasion, she looked his way. At those times Tyki smiled or winked at her. In conjunction, those who noticed told him off or smacked him. Lenalee thought it was endearing how he was so close to everyone. They teased him to which he gave weak rebuttals.

Eventually, Lenalee left the mining grounds. She thanked those who spoke to her before leaving. The miners' information was a bit more substantial. Now she had a time frame for when people stopped getting attacked by what she presumed were akuma.

Tyki and his friends finished work and joked on the way home. They were pleasantly surprised to see Lenalee was there waiting for them outside. "Trouble with hotels?" Clark asked noticing the luggage by her side.

Lenalee scratched her cheek, "I suppose so… my bag came but they still didn't have a room open. If you don't mind me-"

"Mind you? You're always welcome to stay." As they got closer Eeez ran ahead to greet her. "A friend of Tyki's is a friend of ours." Tyki grinned and grabbed Lenalee's bag to bring inside.

"Woah, Lenalee did you make dinner?" Eeez gaped at the table as he entered. There was a place set for each of them. It wasn't much but she made soup and bread.

"It's only onion soup but I thought it would be a good way to apologize for how rudely I acted." She followed Tyki in and ruffled her hair.

All of them sat and thanked her. This time instead of holding back awkwardly she joined in the conversation while they ate. Tyki's friends treated her like she had always been with them. Half way through the meal Tyki showed Eeez a tiny house of bread with a bread to which Lenalee took and added a pond of soup next to it. Only then did she give it back. Eeez was delighted by it and thanked the two.

"Hey, hey no flirting over food." Momo cut it.

Tyki stopped eating, "You can't tell me what to do and I'm not flirting with her!" His friends didn't see it that way and laughed at this with Lenalee.

After dinner when the dishes were done Lenalee came to Tyki. He was in the midst of grabbing a change of clothes. "We need to talk." Tyki turned to face her. She was fully dressed to which he raised a brow quizzically. "I meant in private."

"Alright. I know a place." As he spoke he picked up the clothes and walked past Lenalee.

She followed him outside the house as they walked in silence. Since it had been dark when she went to see him she hadn't noticed that he hadn't had a shirt on. It was awkward walking behind a half-naked noah to god knows where. Occasionally he'd whistle a small tune but wouldn't say a word otherwise.

Tyki stopped once they came to a pool of water within the forest. "I found this about a week ago. No one should come here." The impassive way he spoke was still odd to the Chinese girl. "Turn around if you want I don't really care."

Before she could respond Tyki started undressing. Flustered by his actions Lenalee covered her face and scolded him, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm going to clean off why else would I have a change of clothes?" Once she heard him get in the water she kept her hands up until she was certain she wouldn't see anything unnecessary.

Lenalee saw the lopsided grin on his face, propped up by his elbows when she removed her cover. "I'll drop your clothes in if you splash me, Mikk."

Groaning he dropped his head. "Please stop with the formalities. I like it better when you call me Tyki."

"Fine then, Tyki." Lenalee sat down and began folding the pile of clothes that the noah had dropped on the grass. "I want to know why I haven't encountered any akuma and if there are any other noah I should be worried about around here."

He started snickering that lead to him holding his stomach as he laughed harder. Periodically he inhaled deeply trying to calm himself down. Once done Lenalee looked to him ardently as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I think you've got it all wrong exorcist. I'm ditching work. I mean, yes, I'm technically working. I'm just skipping out on my work as a noah." He leaned down to dip his hair in the water and wash his face. "There are akuma here, two to be exact."

"How come they haven't attacked me?" She asked.

"I told 'em not to." When their eyes met Tyki could see Lenalee didn't believe what she was saying. "I understand you don't trust me. After seeing how much you care for your friends I thought you got me."

"Would you care to elaborate on that?" Lenalee threatened with a smile. His pants were dangled over the water's surface.

"Look I don't want them to get hurt. That and I don't want to start a fight with you."

Heaving, Lenalee flopped on her back. "Here we go again. Why do you keep telling me that?"

"Because it's true if we fight we can't talk like this. It's only been a day but you have to admit you're having fun, I know I am." At this Lenalee didn't know how to react. There was truth to what he said, it was fun to chat and joke with him. He could still have ill intentions she reasoned. Sighing she let herself relax on the ground more. Tyki was still watching from the water she assumed. It was too difficult to discern with the wet locks covering his face.

"Well Lenalee," He smiled. "I'm done so you might want to move or you'll get wet when I step over you."

Quickly she jumped to her feet and turned away. He rang out his hair and tapped her back once he finished robing himself.

Their walk back was awkward for a whole new reason. They talked more freely — Tyki asked her how she liked spending half the day with Eeez and vice versa — but he insisted on holding her hand along the way.

"You don't need to treat me like a child, Tyki. I can walk just fine in the dark." Lenalee insisted.

"Yeah, but I don't want to have to pop your shoulder back into place when you trip again." He conceited. Tyki chuckled at the embarrassment that surfaced quickly on Lenalee. The rest of the short trip was filled with small talk.

Upon arriving Tyki let go of her hand. "Lenalee, I want you to know," He quieted his tone with his next words. "I won't hurt you unless I have to and even then it's got to be a good reason." He reached out to mess with her hair once again. "So don't worry too much. Have a good night." She mumbled a quiet goodnight back to him as they entered the house.

It was all dark except for a small candle which Tyki extinguished. He went to the bedroom while Lenalee went to her bags for a change of clothes.

After dressing for bed she lied down on the empty mattress next to Tyki's. He was still awake as was Eeez who laid next to him though he didn't look like he could stay up much longer. In a hushed voice, barely above a whisper, Tyki started singing a lullaby. Lenalee couldn't understand the words but it was tender and heartfelt.

The next morning Lenalee woke up with Momo and helped him prepare breakfast. They talked a little about what she would do for the day before he went to check on the other three. Once they were all up Lenalee noted that of the bunch Momo seemed to be more of a morning person. He made sure they didn't forget anything. It made sense why Tyki almost fully dressed for the next day before going to sleep. He was so out of it and even tried to put his shoes on the wrong feet.

The group of five left to go to the mines around seven. The trip lasted thirty minutes. Lenalee watched as Tyki yawned, readjusting the sleepy boy on his back. He smiled as Eeez hugged his neck. No one said a word till they told Lenalee they would be done around three or four. They left Eeez with her as she continued to try and find more information on the circumstances of the mine. Coming up with nothing she decided to phone in a progress report.

She followed the boy to the dining hall where there was a small payphone. She dialed the number that directed her to the science division. She was delighted to hear the person on the other line was none other than Reever. He perked up once he heard her greet him in a chipper voice. As Komui was awake the call was swiftly transferred.

He screamed with relief upon the sound of her voice. She had to assure him she was fine before the conversation was to continue. There was a call from the hotel explaining Lenalee hadn't arrived and was not currently a guest made to the order that terrified her brother. She took the time to tell him she was safe and staying with a kind group of miners. Before Komui could express his distaste for this she handed Eeez the phone to help her make her case. She got the phone back from him before Eeez had the chance to mention Tyki's name explicitly. Although still opposed to the idea of his precious little sister sleeping in the same house as a bunch of men she could tell that there wasn't much reason to fret.

Once she let him know there wasn't any way to tell if there was innocence by talking to people she heard him regain an air of seriousness. He recommended she find out all she could and if that wasn't working, for her to investigate it for herself within the next two days.

She let him go as she saw people approaching the hall, Tyki being one of them. The three entered together, after paying they sat together leaving room for the Clark and Momo who soon joined them.

The loud room made it difficult to discern what anyone was saying without yelling or being in extremely close proximity. Tyki leaned towards Lenalee asking who she had been calling.

"Her brother!" Eeez supplied and with her mouth full she inclined to nod in agreement.

She finished her bite of potatoes before continuing, "I needed to let him know how my mission is going."

"And?" He inquired giving his remaining food to Eeez, who was eager to eat the remaining rice and vegetables.

"I've found nothing. I have no clue if there's any innocence here."

He thought for a moment before speaking, "How about I help you then? I'll don't think there is but if there is it all yours."

"Really?" She was unsure how a noah would help an exorcist let alone hand over any innocence they found. "Isn't that against what you do? ... _you know_?"

"I thought we made it clear I'm not working that job right now," Tyki replied. "Come on we're both done eating."

Lenalee didn't know how well this idea was going to blow over. In hindsight, none of this was a normal occurrence for either of them. She decided — as strange as it was to admit — following Tyki into the mines would not be the strangest thing she's done in the past few days.

On the way over he gave her a hard hat and pickaxe. To be more accurate he put the first one he found on her head and Lenalee confiscated the axe on the grounds that Tyki was in her words, "Swinging it around with no regards for others safety and could put someone's eye out."

In the mines, Tyki wasn't sure what to look for. It was the same as any other mine he'd seen before. Just a normal copper mine and it was clear she didn't know what to look for either.

Lenalee walked aside the noah, adjusting the hat in order to see. The hat made it difficult to see yet each time she went to take it off he only put it back on her. It was a vicious cycle. Eventually, Lenalee took the helmet and threw it at his chest and marched onward into the cavern. Tyki begrudgingly tossed it to the side.

Lenalee noticed the farther she went the fewer lamps illuminated the way. Before the lights led her to a sea of darkness she removed one from its place on the damp wall. It was just bright enough for her to keep going within the darkness.

It didn't do much good though.

Going farther Lenalee found the naturally formed areas of the cave. They split in many directions, many led to dead ends. Once she was unable to progress Lenalee went a new direction.

After many failed attempts to find innocence within the mine she resigned to turn back. Lenalee found worse luck in that endeavor. No matter how she retraced her steps she couldn't find the row of lights that signaled a way out nor could she hear the sign that miners were working. Instead, she found more corners that led to nowhere.

It had been hours since she had entered Lenalee surmised.

The lamp was still going strong to her relief. With the uneven footing, she had lost some of the oil along the way. The walls along this pathway were more narrow than any of the previous. As Lenalee continued she knew it was unexplored to her. It became even more apparent as the ceiling began to lower and Lenalee heard the faint sound of water dripping.

Eventually, Lenalee found the pickaxe to be a major inconvenience, there was no way she could comfortably carry it with how small the passage had become. Gently she set it on the side of the wall and carried on without it. Her newly freed hand was used to steady and guide her.

It was surprising how quickly the cave's walls changed. Now she was left with three options: turn back, go left, or continue forward.

Tyki waited at the entrance after work finished. It had felt like years since she walked off into the dark but had only been four hours real time. Many waited for her to come out but it was fruitless. Eeez, Momo, Clark were among the last to stay with Tyki past the sunset.

After Lenalee didn't show once everyone was long gone Tyki's anxiety took over. He stopped pacing went back in to find Lenalee. Once passed the end of the lamps did Tyki realize the problem.

Lenalee was lost with or without a light to help her back he didn't know.

Devising a way to go in without losing his way, Tyki took a lamp and decided to mark his way with string. The string didn't take long before it got to its end and he was on his own. From there he set a teeze wherever there was an area that would have stopped Lenalee from continuing.

Periodically Tyki would call out to Lenalee but received his own echo back. Once he was much farther in he saw the first sign of the girl. It was the pickaxe laying on its side. A wave of relief flooded into Tyki. He could find Lenalee and hopefully wasn't too far from her.

The noah felt like he was ready to astral project or kill something once he reached the intersection in the cave. He was tired, way too tall for a space like this, and honestly just wanted to go to sleep at this point. He took a look at the dark tunnels for an indication of which one she could have gone through.

Both were shaped and sized roughly the same. It wasn't easy to pick so he went with his gut and continued straight. The right tunnel didn't seem right for a reason he couldn't explain. Even so, he left a teeze at the passage he was leaving to make sure he knew where he came from. This teeze was slightly larger than the rest for differentiation purposes.

As he continued Tyki was grateful that the tunnel opened up and enabled him to walk like a normal human being. The walls were darker here and led downwards. The footing was worse than ever causing Tyki to have to catch himself more than once.

One particularly bad slip sent him sliding down the tunnel. He clutched onto his lamp so he wouldn't lose it while the momentum stamped out the light.

Next thing he knew there was no air around him. His powers as a noah prevented him from falling farther.

After relighting his lamp with a match he saw he was extremely close to Lenalee. She had been smart like he thought and brought a lamp, though it was evident that it used up its purpose when she fell. The ground looked at the broken shards for a clue to what direction she may have gone. With closer inspection he could tell Lenalee must have been injured as some pieces were covered in blood.

Hearing footsteps he moved the lamp around to see in the open space. "Lenalee where are you?" There were multiple openings that Tyki could see, any of which the dark haired girl could have gone through. More footsteps origination from the first source told him something was wrong. "Are you alright? I saw the blood."

Concurrently both pairs of steps approached him. Once they entered the light he saw they were two Lenalees. One held her arm from which blood dripped down onto the wet ground the other though held onto a cut in her side. Other than the injuries he couldn't see a clear difference in the two on either side of him. "I think we have a problem Tyki," the one with the arm cut said.

The one with the side wound stepped forward "You can't trust that thing it just wants to hurt us," she proclaimed.

Tyki pushed his hair back and removed his fake lenses, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed barely audible, "This is going to be a long night."

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I hope you enjoyed this!

Reviews are much appreciated


	3. Chapter 3: Rise and Shine

I didn't mean to finish this chapter so soon. If I don't post it now I'll probably never post it. So yay, early update!

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The room was at a standstill and Tyki was at a loss. He couldn't think of a way to easily tell the Lenalees apart. From their head to their toes they looked the same. Even their voices were the same.

They just stood there waiting for him to speak while he continuously looked between the two. He set the lamp on the ground and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

Tyki liked to mix things up but not like this. When things were on his terms it was much more enjoyable. That way there was at least a little control over the outcome. Now was not fun for him or Lenalee, that much was obvious.

Her eyes were wide as she looked from the carbon copy to the noah. Lenalee knew she couldn't fight in her condition. There were no doubt bruises from the fall and the lack of blood wasn't helping. Tyki, though she hated it, was her only hope right now.

The silence was broken when the imposter pleaded. "Tyki can't you tell that I'm the real Lenalee?"

"Of course not! You look the same," Tyki groaned into his palms. "I know," He realized. "What's my last name."

"Mikk," They answered in unison. Lenalee continued, "Why is that the first thing you ask? Anyone could find that out."

"Sorry, for being bad under pressure." Tyki retorted. "I still came for you, though. Whichever one is you that is." He gestured to both girls awkwardly.

"Thank you, I knew that I could always count on you!" The fake one said.

Tyki then looked at Lenalee and shot her a grin, "Well that was easier than I thought it would be." He walked over to it and winked at her before snapping the copy's neck. "Shall we leave now?"

Lenalee side eyed the noah as she picked up the lamp. "You have no tact do you?"

His response was to merely shrug his shoulders and offer a non-apologetic half smile to which Lenalee shook her head in disbelief

Tyki took a moment to patch Lenalee up the best he could. Most the glass was removed while she hissed choking back a cry. Tyki used the top layer of her skirt as a makeshift bandage on her side and gave her his gloves to stop the bleeding in her palms. The later wounds he learned were gained from trying to stop her fall.

Once they were ready to go he picked her up on his back and grabbed the lamp. She secured her arms around his neck so as not to fall when he took off the ground.

The intersecting point brought new a dilemma if they were to continue to the exit. There were still two ways to go but not straight like he planned on. "What's the hold up Tyki? Just turn right, since we went left to go down." He ignored her. "Why are you going left?!"

"That's where my the teeze I left is waiting so yeah I'm going left," Tyki said matter of fact.

The cave opened up steadily the farther they went. As they went Lenalee saw them gather more butterflies. Tyki couldn't help but notice Lenalee was also growing more groggy. Her grip on him was weakening at each corner it seemed.

Lenalee adjusted herself so her chin rested on the noah's shoulder, "Would you please stop tapping that axe, it's annoying."

"Lenalee I couldn't pick it up with you and the lamp," He responded.

"Hurry up then," Lenalee stammered, now wide awake. "We have company."

Tyki started into a sprint and skidded to a stop at each turn they needed to make. Slower than the two wanted they caught the first sight of lamps from within the darkness. It wasn't a moment too soon as Lenalee caught a glimpse of _it_ coming towards them. The snapped neck made it look horrendous; it ran without movings arms, dragging the pickaxe as the other arm floundered behind it. At the exit, he dropped Lenalee on the ground and threw the lamp at it.

It yelled as he flicked a match at it. To the surprise of the three, it didn't catch on fire. Instead, it laughed at him. Lenalee took the opportunity to kick it in its side mangling it further.

Tyki then came over and put it out of it's misery and reduced it to the innocence's raw form. He tossed the piece to Lenalee who didn't hesitate to collapse on the ground with him. "You know," She huffed trying to even her breaths, "You are terrible at killing."

She laughed, laying her head on his extended arm as she looked at him. "Allen, the ark, you really like to slack off don't you?"

"You get what you pay for," Tyki said adding to her delighted giggles.

It wasn't long before he noticed her breath even out. Morbid as it was, he thought it was cute how she sprawled out with a smile despite how much pain she must be in. Tyki stretched before moving to Lenalee's hurt side.

She winced when he removed the sad excuse for a bandage. The bleeding had almost stopped and was not as serious as it looked now that they actually had the time to examine it. Tyki phased through her skin and carefully removed the remaining fragments placing them on the ripped cloth.

After finishing, he tossed the bloody, useless fabric and gloves away. Tyki returned with a first aid kit to tend to Lenalee properly. He rebandaged her side and palms once disinfecting them. Lenalee quietly watched as he put more of everything he needed to on her. It looked like he wanted to miss anything that would be a potential vice to her. Her hands looked like she was wearing mittens by the time he finished.

They walked back to the house arm in arm discussing the night. Tyki applauded how well Lenalee kept her cool and she joked about how ridiculous he acted. It was amusing that the noah was so adamant about not looking like a fool in front of Lenalee. No matter how much he denied it, she kept poking fun at him.

Coming up the rocky, grassy lane were Tyki's friends. "The two of you look like you've been through hell and back" Clark called out.

When the groups were face to face Tyki's friends told him to hang back for the day since he and Lenalee looked like a mess. Lenalee insisted she was fine to return by herself and let go of her support. With a single step, she fell forward only to be caught in the noah's arms once again. Momo and Clark snickered before bidding them adieu in an over the top manner. Eeez waved back until they were no longer in sight.

At the house, Lenalee placed the innocence in her bag before laying on the mattress. Its metal springs felt much more welcoming than they had the past two times. Her eyes fluttered closed as she welcomed sleep.

Not a moment later her peace of mind was disturbed by Tyki flopping down next to her. He flashed a smile before throwing a blanket over them. The gesture was appreciated but she felt it didn't make a difference with how exhausted the exorcist felt.

The two fell asleep minutes after wishing each other mumbled goodnights. In his sleep, Tyki adjusted to escape the early morning light.

It was midday when the girl awoke to Tyki using her as a shield to block out the light. It was much earlier than she wanted to awaken not to mention Lenalee was being crushed by the weight of the man on top of her. His arms were wrapped around her waist and the blanket was kicked to the side. Lenalee wiggled out of his hold. While doing so, she placed the blanket in a bundle so as not to disturb him. He only grumbled and readjusted.

Leaving the house to wash up, Lenalee brought her suitcase to the body of water Tyki had shown her. The cold water bit at the cuts as she entered. The bandages were laid down on the luggage in neat rows. As Lenalee washed, she closed her eyes, blocking out the dried blood dissolving into the once clear liquid.

It reminded her of the nightmare she was cursed with.

The sleep cleared her mind that she was sure of. There's no way anyone in their right mind would trust their life to their enemy.

She must be going crazy. That was the only logical thing Lenalee could come up with as she racked her brain for answers. Then again, Tyki was never a logical person in her book. He was impulsive but honest that much was obvious to Lenalee.

Before getting out of the water, Lenalee laid out a change of clothes. Her old clothes could be mended but weren't practical for moving around anymore. They were made to be durable but tearing so much of the skirt removed several years of use. In the end, she picked out a tight fitted shirt and a pair of shorts. The jacket didn't sustain enough damage to warrant putting it away.

After dressing, Lenalee took a moment to admire the innocence they caught. It looked like any other innocence piece. Tiny and ridiculously hard to catch. There was a faint glow about it. It irked her; noah clan hated innocence to her recollection. Tyki could have crushed it like it was nothing but he kept his word.

On the way back Lenalee looked the scenery she missed in the dark. There were squirrels running around gathering nuts from the densely packed trees. So many parts looked the same, it made sense that he wanted to hold her hand to not get lost. There weren't many exposed root to look out for.

Tyki had woke by the time Lenalee returned. He tidied up the three rooms as best he could. There wasn't much to clean. The blankets were easy to pile up and dishes were few. The most prominent thing Tyki noticed was the lack of Lenalee or her belongings.

Tyki figured Lenalee hated him and left as soon as she could. He spent the remaining time till her arrival laying on the mattress in the dining room smoking.

Tyki pondered why she left. There were so many things that she could despise him for. He had killed many of her friends and colleagues and that's not something that's easy to ignore. The death game on the ark wasn't _too bad_ in his opinion though. The fact that he was a noah still stood.

Lenalee interrupted the intrusive thoughts of the man by dropping her bag on his chest and sitting on his lap. "Miss me?" She asked, leaning on the container.

"Why would I miss an exorcist?" Tyki stammered. Although she covered her mouth with her arm, it was clear she was smiling at his answer.

"Because I'm not just an exorcist to you," Lenalee hinted. "I thought about it on my way back from the forest."

Thinking for a moment, Tyki agreed with her words. They weren't just an exorcist and a noah. What they were though, he didn't know. Lenalee closed her eyes and cocked her head. "You want to be friends with me." She said.

Tyki let his head fall back to process the information. "Yeah, I do," He realized. Reaching his hand out to touch her hair Tyki was intercepted with her .

"Why do you do that?" She asked raising one brow.

"I- I like how it feels," Tyki confessed. "I thought it would be prickly 'cause of how it stuck up in Edo, but it's so _soft._ " His eyes gleamed in awe, illuminated by the setting sun's light.

Lenalee, bewildered, clutched onto the hand he left outstretched, "Oh." His eyes shifted betwixt her eyes and hand without a specific purpose. She moved the case closer to her chest slowly.

Tyki watched her tap the bag with each finger in a successive sequence. As she fidgeted, he felt the room was warmer than before. A bead of cold sweat ran down his neck.

Neither knew what to say.

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One day I might up the rating on this fic  
Also, did you know that kerosene doesn't easily ignite especially with a match? I didn't until I looked it up while writing this.


	4. Chapter 4: Elephant in the Room

Happy holidays!  
I made this one a little longer (for me at least) since I haven't updated by the time I initially wanted to have

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Faces inches from one another the exorcist and noah gazed into the eyes of the other. They didn't dare say a word out of uncertainty. Where would they go from here? Neither wanted to be enemies.

Both waited for the other to speak up.

The luggage, although not at all heavy, felt like it was suffocating Tyki. He let go of the cigarette that he had forgotten he held in his left hand. Running his tongue along the bottom of his lip before biting it, he reached his newly freed hand to move a strand of loose hair behind Lenalee's ear.

She watched each movement carefully: the focused look in his eyes before they made contact and darted off to look anywhere else, the minuscule twitch of his hand right before his finger ghosted against the skin of her earlobe, the way his mouth parted ever so slightly — hesitant to say a word.

In an instant, the moment was over with a pound on the door. It reverberated, breaking the silence between them.

"Can we come in or are you two busy?" Momo questioned, though muffled by the door.

Tyki sat up as Lenalee rushed to open the door. "We're not busy. Should we be?" She inquired.

Tyki propped himself up with her bag. "I see you're back early," He slouched over it in a rather uncomfortable manner — arms hugging it close. "What happened you all right?"

Of the three, none were sporting pains or aches. Eeez hopped to Tyki's side and plopped down. Clark explained while walking in, "We wanted to make sure the two of you were doing all right, so we took off early."

Lenalee retrieved her jacket from Eeez, sidestepping around the now crowded space. "I'm going to go into town and pick up ingredients for dinner." Once ready, she reached for the door handle. "Is there anything you want?"

She left with a mental list that to work with for something warm, fish, no fish, and 'whatever you want.' Short, but not the most helpful list she had to say.

Tyki's friends quickly questioned him about his recent time with their new lady friend. Tyki didn't want to have to explain the innocence and noah aspects and summed it up the best way he could. "She got lost and I found her. When she was in there she got cut by some glass so I gave her a piggyback."

" _Really_ , that's it? I don't think you mentioned what _happened_ when you got back here." Clark's tone of voice holding less than subtle not-so-PG undertones.

"We're just friends!" Tyki said, shrinking away as if he could avoid the questions he was sure to hear next. The next words were nothing more than a grumble, "…Besides, I took a nap while she went to get clean..."

"…Dude," Momo said while scrunching his eyebrows. "You've got it bad."

"I don't have anything, Momo."

"Stop moping, just tell her how you feel."

Tyki's head shot up — eyes narrowed, brow scrunched — in disbelief. He leaned his head forward, not certain he heard right.

"I think Lenalee likes you too." Eeez chimed in. He too was greeted by Tyki's quizzical look.

"There's no way, we're just friends and her boyfriend would probably try and kill me." The red-head already had a beef with Tyki from trying to kill Allen and he did not want this to be added to the list of reasons to hate him. If he got in a fight with the eyepatch kid, Tyki reasoned, he would undoubtedly want to kill him. That would totally screw up his new friendship.

That would totally screw up his new friendship.

After another moment of thought, he added, "What does she see in him?" It was more to himself than anyone else.

Clark laughed, "What does she see in _you_?"

"Not much," Tyki mumbled, resting his head on her luggage.

The three looked at one another, none of them were sure how to deal with their noah friend. Tyki was never known to act like a mess when it came to girls. In fact, he ignored them a good chunk of the time.

"Do you want to be friends with her?" Momo asked.

The muffled reply was a drawn out yes.

"Do you want to be anything more?"

"No."

"Alright, sure… just friends."

They were getting nowhere, that was evident. The conversation served to confuse Tyki's emotions further and the more they thought about it, if Tyki couldn't sort this out by himself they couldn't be of much assistance.

Tyki leaned back and slapped his hands against his face. Eeez was about to ask him if he was alright, though didn't have the chance before the man leaned over and onto him. "I just want to sleep," he groaned.

Without warning, a bag was dropped on his back. "Go to sleep and you are not eating my cooking." The look of surprise on his face was clear as day. "You have no self-awareness after you wake up," she continued, one brow up.

Momo and Clark burst out laughing at the sight. Lenalee, having only come in while they were in the silent part of their inquisition, was rightfully confused. She looked to Eeez for some explanation.

He looked at Tyki then back to her and shook his short locks. His lips were sealed.

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Lenalee picked the bag back up and got to work in the kitchen. Momo offered to help with the meal, though he was turned down. Lenalee didn't want to ruin the surprise she had planned.

She carefully made the food, every so often, straining to hear what they were talking about. It was curious. In the four days that she got to know them, the exorcist never heard them speak in such quiet tones. There wasn't anything that she was aware of that was considered a secret amongst them.

Tyki was sitting cross-legged with Eeez on his lap, Tyki's weight was shifted onto the arms behind his back. Clark was on a chair, back towards her, leaning his head on the body of it. Although Momo wasn't in view, by the way they managed to stay hush-hush, he was somewhere near the two men.

The conversation was difficult to hear, though that was understandable since she was cooking. Lenalee could only hear when things were heated, mostly from Clark. They were probably talking about crushes she guessed. It was like how many of the guys from the order acted when they were talking about it. They weren't ever good at hiding it. Lenalee thought it was a tad rude of them to have these conversations in front of her but now it was more humorous than anything. If men have trouble with women, what better way is there to figure out what to do than ask another woman? Nothing was stopping them.

Lenalee put her after dinner surprise in the oven before bringing their dinner out in one hand. The other holding their dishes and cutlery. "Voilà!" Lenalee exclaimed while setting the pan down. The triumphant tone of her voice got them intrigued by her creation. "This is my first time making it in a pan but I think it came out well."

She returned to the kitchen as they took their places and eyed the contents. There were lots of vegetables to see: broccoli, carrots, onions, and cabbage. Momo saw the meat and called out to their beloved chef, "Please tell me this isn't fish." His apprehension was more than clear.

"It is, it's um, bal…? ba… _bacalhau_? I think that that is what she called it." Lenalee emerged with another pan, thought this one with rice. "You don't have to have any if you would rather not." She started to fill each of their bowls with rice. With a sing-song voice, she added, "Tyki looks more than happy to eat the fish you don't want."

"I- I do not!" The noah protested. He huffed and grabbed a scoop to put on top of his rice. "I just like fish okay…"

Lenalee smiled, eager to see how they liked this dish. It was the first way she ever learned to cook. The others mimicked Tyki, not entirely sure how to eat this. They were a little unsure how to ask, with how excited she was to see them take a bite. He seemed to know what he was doing at the very least.

"It tastes great!" Eeez beamed at her once he finished chewing. All were in agreeance, nodding their heads as they continued to chow down. Lenalee rubbed the back of her head and thanked them before starting to eat herself.

The idle chatter didn't last very long. Clark addressed Lenalee in a stern tone, "Are you alright? I didn't think about it before but you were real beat up when the two of you were headed here. We shouldn't have had ya go into town again."

They looked to her, all but Tyki. He cast his gaze to a chip in the table to his right, knitting his brow. "I'm fine," They looked at her unsure. Putting her hands up she continued, "honestly! I took a nap shortly after we got back. I only looked so bad because I was tired. That and Tyki is very bad at first aid." She took another bite. "He made it look worse than it was because he bandaged me _significantly_ more than need be."

"I just wanted to help…" Tyki replied. He looked up and was surprised to see her smiling back at him. It was small but still there.

"What were you talking about while I was in the kitchen? It seemed serious." Lenalee asked.

"Nothing much," Momo replied.

Eeez elaborated without prompt, "girls." The others gagged and coughed.

"I figured as much," She said to herself before standing. "If you need any advice I'm here." It would probably be rude to press the issue more than that, she reasoned.

After Lenalee returned to the kitchen to check the oven, she poked the cake she made with a knife for later in order to check if it was done. Once removing it to let cool, Lenalee returned to her seat. They asked her what was up to which she simply said, "it's a secret," with a wink.

Dinner continued with ease. None of the rice or fish was left over when they finished. Very little of any of it was remaining for that matter.

Lenalee brought out the cake as they started to clean up. "Who wants to help me frost this?" When producing the sweet treat, Eeez almost dropped the mask that he was in the middle of putting back on. His eyes were wide like the other three in the room.

"I'm so sorry." Lenalee apologized. "You're probably full— I didn't think to ask if you like sweets." She set it on the pastry on the edge of the counter. Moving a hand to rub at her temple she let out a sigh.

Quickly they jumped to respond in a jumbled mess.

Momo was first, "No, thanks, we're just surprised is all!"

Clark inquired tensely, "How much did you spend on all this?"

Tyki added on, "Yeah, you didn't need to do this for us."

Eeez was still in awe and hadn't said a word. Lenalee was also shocked by their sudden outburst. She jubilantly laughed after a moment.

She responded in a light voice. "Don't worry. I didn't spend that much on any of this. I work for the Black Order. The pay is not much but when I'm on missions my expenses are covered by them." She raised her hand to cover up another small giggle. "Plus, I thought this could be a nice way to thank you for letting me stay with you."

After shifting her weight from side to side and messing with the hem of her shorts she sat down to wait for their responses.

Clark and Tyki continued to clear the dishes off the table. Momo searched for the right words. Something they couldn't quite place was off about what she said.

Eeez spoke up with concern heavily laced in his words, "Are you leaving already?"

They all stole a glance at the exorcist from his question. Her expression said it better than she felt she could have. Her refusal to lock eyes with any of them, only watching the shadow beneath her that she wished would just swallow her whole.

They knew she wouldn't stay forever but it was strange. They knew they were going to say goodbye but not after so short a time.

"You have to come back when you get a chance or on another mission then," Momo said.

The others slowly but surely agreed. Lenalee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Eeez grabbed her hand. "Let's frost the cake," he coaxed.

They tried to ignore the disheartening atmosphere when they sat down with her again. Tyki cracked a few jokes as they decorated it. They were badly timed puns. After a few misses, he got her to laugh.

Eeez and Lenalee focused on one side of the cake while Clark and Tyki did the other. Momo wished to just do the dishes.

It looked lopsided when they finished. She and the eleven year old's side had been done with more visible care. It had a leveled amount of icing on it and little cornelli by Lenalee. It was also scattered with dots and flowers that Eeez made with piping. The other side was the complete opposite, it was uneven in places and been made by them only using knives. Clark tried to even out Tyki's mess, created as a result of putting globs of frosting on and his general inconsistency with how much he used.

They all had fun though. Tyki was almost making it a point to not take it seriously. Momo told him to, "cool it on the frosting," that wound up motivating him to make a bigger mess with the decorating.

After each having a slice they went to lay down. It was hours before any of them slept as they relived their antics in words.

In the following morning, Lenalee woke with them and followed the routine of two days prior. Tyki that day somehow managed to put his suspenders on wrong and smack the door frame within a minute of leaving the bed.

Before heading to work they say their goodbyes to her. Eeez hugged her until Momo pried him off, Tyki gave her a half-hearted grin and another hair ruffle, and the other two gave her an awkward side hug each.

She spent the time before her departure repacking her suitcase. The ripped skirt she used to pack the innocence more securely.

Johnny said it was supposed to have been sturdy enough to hold up in battle. Sadly, the only battle it saw was a noah trying to make a quick fix for an exorcist. Not that she would ever tell him that.

The town was relatively quiet as Lenalee walked to the station leaving her to her own thoughts. Her side still bothered her but it was a mild discomfort. The trip wouldn't take long to the order either. The ark gate she came from was just two stops from this town's platform. Soon she'd be at her new home and wouldn't likely have another mission right away due to her afflictions. While glad to be with Komui again, she knew she'd miss this time.

The idiosyncratic time with the noah was a nice break but she knew things would return to how they were before her mission. Enemies.

As she prepared to board the train, Lenalee heard her name called out. Thinking it was a trick of the mind, she ignored it continuing to the edge of the station platform.

Again she heard it, multiple times. She could pick out at least two voices screaming her name at the top of their lungs. The noise was quickly coming towards her, louder with each call.

"Will you be boarding today Miss?" A porter asked. Lenalee had one hand ghosting the rail leading to the carriage and one foot paused in its movement.

The man beside her repeated the barely registered question. "...Yes, please give me a moment." Lenalee said back.

The train whistled as Tyki ran up with Eeez on his back panting. They were followed by Clark and Momo a short ways back. "We aren't late are we?" Eeez asked.

"The train will be leaving soon. I advise you to finish your business fast." The porter urged. He left with her bag.

Winded, Clark spoke, "We meant to give you this earlier."

With Tyki leaning over holding onto his knees to regain his breath, Eeez slid off his back with ease. He gave Lenalee a small bag and card that he had held close to his chest with one arm.

"The guys picked it out on the way home yesterday," Tyki sucked in a large breath, "It's not the same as the other-"

The train sounded again before starting to move slowly. Lenalee grabbed on and hopped on. She ran up to open the window as fast as she could. "I'm sure it's great," She cried above another whistle.

In unison, they called out to her one last time before waving till the exorcist was out of sight, "We hope you have a safe trip!"

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I hope you liked this chapter!

(Bacalhau is just the Portuguese word for cod if you wanted to know)


	5. Chapter 5: A Bitter Pill

Happy new years! I thought that I'd update early to start off the year.

It's another long chapter and is now the longest so far at 5k+ words!

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"A dislocated shoulder, bruising, deep cuts from glass… is there anything I'm missing?" The head nurse was inspecting the recently returned exorcist.

Upon her return, Lenalee was rushed to the medical area by her brother before she had a chance to say hello. Her eyes had been red from crying on the train and the bandages didn't help to calm the twenty-nine-year-old.

On the train, she opened the brown parcel that Eeez and the others got for her. Inside was a light pink sweater, similar to the color of her skirt. The neckline was certainly wide enough for it to be worn as one since it had a cowl neck.

Putting it down, she opened the paper. Inside it was little messages from all of them. The one with the worst handwriting she'd seen to date, wished for her to get well soon and that he hoped to see her again soon. The better two writings said about the same. One explained that they bought the sweater since they couldn't find any skirts that color and that they wanted her to stay warm. The other thanked her for spending time with them and for her meals. Their English was not the best, but it was the thought that counted. Eeez, she could tell, drew Lenalee a picture of herself with the other four instead of writing.

She was surprised when her tears hit the paper. Quickly, she wiped them off so it wouldn't be ruined. As she did so more kept falling. She tried to keep them in as they poured out. As she hunched over, they wouldn't stop as much as she tried to wipe them away.

Lenalee buried her face in the sweater, drowning out the out-of-focus scenery. It felt like her face would fall off. They wouldn't cease no matter what she tried, each time coming back stronger. The grip she had on the fabric tightened as she held it closer, smothering the sobs that left her.

It felt like forever since she cried for that long.

Lenalee felt refreshed but couldn't shake the twinge of sadness gripping at her. She knew they would be safe as long as Tyki was with them but how long would that last? Would they really ever be able to see each other again?

As the head nurse continued to examine her, Lenalee mulled these thoughts over in her head once again. Her bandages were all removed starting with her hands, then waist, and finally her leg. Due to the way her corset was ripped, it needn't be removed as it was missing large chunks of material.

"I don't know what your brother was thinking sending you out on a mission alone where there wasn't a nearby ark gate." The nurse said grabbing a cold towel. "Lay back and put this on your eyes — It will reduce the swelling." The woman grabbed Lenalee's wrists to take a better at their cuts.

"These don't look pleasant," She grimaced. "Not from the glass I suspect."

"I cut them open on the walls of a cave trying to keep from falling," Lenalee replied impassively.

"Were they cleaned out?"

"Yeah, I got first aid done as soon as I was able."

"It doesn't look like they are infected," The medic continued on to the other wounds. Lenalee laid there occasionally readjusting the wet towel.

Looking over the glass cuts, she tenderly prodded at them to see Lenalee's response. "Glass entered your wounds. Am I right?"

Lenalee nodded before informing her that the shards were removed.

"Was there anything on them? If you don't know I may have to do some tests."

"Oil," Lenalee said. The nurse was worried by her short responses. Normally, Lenalee was quite talkative, unless something was wrong that is.

"Do you know what type it was?" This was the last thing she needed to know for the cuts. Then she could figure out the next step, she thought while looking over Lenalee's shoulder and bruises.

"The owner said they used kerosene."

Surprised she paused, "Well then, you are very lucky." She smiled, "That's an antiseptic so it has a lower chance of being infected. Although, if it ever bothers you, you need to come see me."

A slight nod and noise of affirmation was all the exorcist gave in response.

Removing her nurse's cap and sitting next to the girl, the head nurse placed a hand on Lenalee's. "This is very important," She spoke softly but firmly, "did anything happen while you were on your mission?"

No response.

"The chief," She corrected herself, and stroked the back Lenalee's hand, "your brother told me that you weren't able to get the room that was reserved for you and you had to stay with some miners…" Lenalee removed the rag to look at the older woman.

In her eyes, Lenalee saw gleams of pity and empathy. They felt misplaced. Coming back from missions never elicited this kind of response from the head nurse. Usually, she was only upset that they got hurt.

"If anything happened while you stayed with them, it is very important that you tell me." Locking eyes with the dark haired exorcist she used a more gentle voice, "I won't tell Komui if you don't want him to know but if you don't tell me I can't help you, Lenalee."

After a pensive moment of trying to figure out what the older woman was getting at, Lenalee gave up. "I don't understand, what do you mean by _happened_?" Lenalee scrunched her brow, still unable to figure it out.

The head nurse took the towel from her and moved her other hand to pet Lenalee's hair. "I mean," she said. "You can tell me if any of them touched you inappropriately or made you do something you didn't want to."

Lenalee's eyes widened and in a flash, she was sitting up, "No! Nothing like that happened, they were very nice to me. We each had our own _separate_ beds even!" She frantically tried to clear up the apparent misunderstanding. "What made you think that head nurse?"

With a great amount of relief, the woman let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. "From what I heard from the chief and seeing how you looked like you were crying and those bruises… I- I assumed the worst. Thank heavens that wasn't the case."

They finished the check-up with no more problems.

On her way out, Lenalee realized that the order was in a new place and she didn't know her way around yet.

A brisk walk around the place seemed to be in order.

As she explored she found there were many more twists and turns. That also meant more shortcuts which Lenalee found exciting. The architecture was much nicer than the old building and it was much brighter. Even so, that didn't change the inhumane things that the organization did for their so called god.

She eventually found her way to the cafeteria. It was similar to the old one in its setup — tables in neat rows that extended out towards the windows — but it was definitely bigger. The familiar scent of Jerry's cooking filled her nostrils with every breath and the faces of so many people she knew were everywhere she turned. That made this new place really feel like home.

"Lenalee! Where've you been? We heard you got back hours ago," The unmistakable voice of Lavi greeted her with a pat on the back before going to the counter to see their favorite cook.

"I wanted to see the place," She quickened her pace to Jerry's window, "Hi Jerry, how's the new kitchen?"

"It's fantastic, bet you can't wait to try it out!" Jerry said in a knowing voice.

Lenalee grinned. Spot on, she thought. "Can I have a cheese sandwich and a light soup?"

"How's minestrone sound, Lena?" Jerry asked.

Lenalee was pleased by his choice and chatted with Lavi while the two waited for her food.

Once they sat down, Miranda, Marie, and Krory greeted her. "How have things been while I was away."

"That's right," Miranda mused, "You had been sent on mission after mission for a while now."

Lavi laughed, "Aw man, you totally missed Komui's rampages. We were all worried when we heard your reservation was filled by someone else, but he was ready to go over there. No one could let him out of their sight."

"The other was when he heard you were staying with the miners," Krory added. "We knew you could handle it, though."

She nodded her head, "He did sound pretty upset over the phone… nothing too bad happened because of him?"

"He couldn't make any robots if that helps," Marie said.

Lenalee spent the rest of lunch talking with them and others who stopped by to say hello. After lunch, she decided that she would see her brother before anything else.

Her brother was more than happy to see her since he had the peace of mind from her visiting the nurse. He did his usual dramatic show of hugging her and screaming about how much he missed her. The other scientists welcomed the show as it had been one of the more relaxing things to happen with the move till now.

They informed her about how Lvellie hadn't left since his visit to the former headquarters. Lenalee was far from thrilled at the news.

Speaking of bad news, Lenalee remembered a little detail from her mission. She brought up the topic to Johnny with guilt. "On my mission, my skirt got torn up. Is there any way you could patch it?" She asked while twiddling with the white bandages on her hands.

"Do you have it with you?" Johnny asked while he set the paper he was working on back on the desk.

Komui happily brought Lenalee her bag, "I kept it safe!" He presented it with an amount of grandeur that she couldn't help but snicker at.

After thanking him, Lenalee insisted he get back to work. She carefully opened it up and took the skirt out. Unwrapping the innocence, she handed the sad fabric to the scientist, glad that his glasses hid his shocked expression from her.

"What happened?!" Johnny asked bewildered. "There's no way that this could have happened easily…"

With the vaguest recap of the night she could muster, Lenalee told Johnny it was for medical attention.

In awe, Johnny looked at the material. "They must be pretty strong. I have trouble cutting them, but ripping it… wow…"

Lenalee let out a forced laughed, if only he knew...

After giving him the hopefully salvageable skirt she took her bag and the innocence to Hevlaska.

On the way to Lenalee's room, she ran into Lavi again. This time, he was accompanied by Allen and the inspector. "Hiya! Nice to see you again. It's been too long, how are you?" The red-head said in a fake tone of sentimentality.

Lenalee pouted. "Lavi, I ate lunch with you." After lightly hitting him with the bag, she walked beside him.

"And now you can have dinner with me!" He spoke with cheer, adding a fist pump to emphasize his excitement.

"Is it that late already?" Lenalee gaped. Looking out one of the many gothic windows they passed, the sun's light was fading out into the night sky.

Allen hit the eldest of the two exorcists, "We need to let her put her stuff in her room before we think of food."

" _Al!_ What's wrong with you?" Lavi placed his hand on the white-haired boy's forehead, "You must be getting sick. The Allen Walker I know would never stop thinking of food!"

Lenalee smiled at the way they lightly bickered over food on the way to her room. She set the suitcase in to unpack later.

In the dining hall, they each grabbed their food and found a relatively secluded place to eat. As Allen ate, the dishes piled up to create a wall between him and everything. Eventually, Link had enough of it and took the pile of dirty dishes to the kitchen.

Lenalee took a chance once Link was out of earshot to ask about a major issue that had been bugging her, "Allen," she was just quiet enough to keep the conversation between the three of them. "What do you think of Tyki Mikk?" Both stopped eating at this.

"What do you mean Lenalee?" Allen whispered, carefully scanning to see if anyone was listening.

"He tried to kill you but…" She looked up from her food to Allen, "On the ark, you didn't seem like you hated him for that. I mean, is he really a terrible person?"

"Of course he is Lenalee!" Lavi said a little louder than he meant to. "Sorry…"

Lenalee opened her eyes, not aware that she reflexively closed them. "It's okay," she trailed.

Allen ate a little more before addressing the girl, "I don't hate him. I don't know if I like him, though. I feel— I mean— Argh," Allen threw his head back before facing her again. "It's hard to explain, see I don't think either of us hates each other. If we were on the same side we might be fri- uh, get along but we're not so we aren't… you know?"

"I guess it does," Lenalee said.

"What brought all this up?" Lavi pressed. "You didn't run into that bastard or any other noah on your mission, did you?" Lavi grabbed her hand to get her attention.

"No, I didn't run into him," Lenalee said. She wasn't _exactly_ lying. What she said was true. He ran into her, not the other way around. Lavi didn't need to know that, though.

"Is there someone you are trying to find Lee?" The blond inspector asked. He had just come back from dropping off the dishes.

Allen replied in a snap, "Kanda. She hasn't seen him yet." Link rose an eyebrow and gave Allen a questionable look but said nothing more.

"Mhm," Lenalee said. She pulled her hand from the redhead's to continue nibbling at the last bite of her meal. "If you will excuse me, I think I am going to look for him."

Lenalee left before they could say another word. She wasn't in the mood to talk. Not even to Kanda.

Instead, she went straight back to her room. She flopped down on the bed, happy to have a soft surface to sleep on, face first. Her extended legs made her slip so her knees touched the hardwood floor.

She rested her head on her folded arms as she looked around the room. There wasn't much. A large window faced the forest and let the moonlight in garnered the most attention. The only furniture in the room was her bed, nightstand, chair, and a five-tier dresser that came up to her waist. None of her things were very big and made the room feel even larger since there was a plethora of space here.

She hated it. It was so empty.

The box of her things was in the corner of her room across from the door and next to her window. There wasn't much she needed to unpack besides clothing and a few pictures.

Lenalee sighed and picked herself up. She unpacked quickly. All the clothes fit inside the first four and last drawer with plenty of room to spare. The fourth one she placed some miscellaneous items in. Hair ties, cosmetics, extra blankets, things she didn't use often. It was a habit she picked up and never forgot.

In the days before Komui came, she noticed most people shoved things in the first few drawers. It was easier to do that but if she put things in a lower one then people were less likely to check. She'd always put the things she never wore on top of them so nothing would rattle if it were bumped too.

The exorcist put the photographs up next. One was from after her brother came to the order, just the two of them. That went next to the window so it couldn't get faded by the light. Another was from shortly after Lavi came to the order and the other after Miranda. Each were group shots of the exorcists and scientists, but both were from her brother. She put them on the wall between the window and door.

The books she had were placed in the corner where the box of her things had been. There were only a few. Cooking books and a few others for if she was bored and couldn't leave. Mostly, she went to the order's library.

Lenalee looked to see what was left in the box. Nothing but a sewing kit and a jar of sweets. She Tossed them into the nightstand with the paper and pencils that she had left in before the move.

She grabbed the suitcase from beside her door and opened it on the floor. After separating the clean and dirty clothes she looked at the card again. It was a little crumpled now, an edge was even torn.

Looking over the messages, she thought back and realized why she was so sad to leave them. They were like her family at the order but without as much stress. When they went to work she wasn't afraid that they wouldn't come back. Lenalee could see why Tyki wanted to protect them.

He was like her when it came to friends. Even Edo he talked about them. If he had lost one of them he would have acted just like she and Lavi did when they heard about Allen.

Laying back on the floor, she felt a carpet that she hadn't realized was there. It blended in with the floor so well.

She closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to her mission.

If anyone knew Lenalee became friends with a noah there's no telling what would happen. Rather than be put under investigation, she would be locked up at the very least. Did they even have a protocol for something like this?

Even more so she wondered what would happen if she saw him when he was out on his own. Would that be a good reason to attack her? Lenalee realized he never told her what he thought was a good reason or what he thought was good for that matter.

The man was a mystery. He was overall a straightforward person when she asked him anything. But the man was a walking contradiction. He was absurdly lazy but he goes to save her? What was that about?

Lenalee rung her brain for an answer but couldn't find a decent solution. It felt like she was so lost these days.

With being adjusted to sleeping on hard surfaces, Lenalee fell asleep before she could grasp how tired she was.

The blaring light from the window woke the drowsy exorcist. Disoriented, she sat up and almost called out for the others to wake up. Realizing that wasn't going to happen, she sighed and got dressed.

She headed down to the dining hall in her casual wear. A button up with a skirt and thigh highs. It wasn't very different from her uniform but at the same time completely different.

After breakfast, Lenalee made coffee for the scientists. As she loaded the cart up, she vaguely wondered if Tyki and the others would have liked it. She pushed the thought and cart away with a deep exhale.

As expected, they missed her coffee in the science division.

Throughout the day, people commented on her lack of uniform. Word soon got around that she wouldn't be on a mission for at least a week if not more by orders of the head nurse.

During the time, Lenalee got into a little routine. In the morning after breakfast and serving coffee, she would help cook with Jerry for the about two hours when most of the Order's staff chose to eat. After she would help others with menial tasks or find a place to relax. The rest of the day tended to be a toss up. Lenalee would either find someone to talk with or sneak in some training.

Despite the nurse telling her to keep from doing any strenuous activities with her legs, Lenalee could not stand doing nothing. She practiced with Kanda mainly but refrained from fights.

In the afternoon of the third day, Lenalee found herself helping Jerry for a second time that day. As she practiced cooking with him she got lost in thought.

The exorcist found herself thinking of the noah more and more as of late. She just couldn't figure him out. For a murderer, he had some of the nicest friends in the world.

She sighed and put the tray of test pastries in the oven.

When she first saw him in the town, Lenalee almost didn't recognize the noah. If it hadn't been for his reveal on the ark, he could have passed himself off as someone new. But his playful smile was a feature uniquely him, Lenalee believed.

That and the way he always liked to stroke and mess with her hair. Yes, other people did it but not nearly as much. Lenalee felt like he took every opportunity he could. Unconsciously, Lenalee lifted her hand to run her fingers through her dark hair and touched the spot on her ear where he had.

Lenalee let it linger there as she wondered what Tyki had been about to say. Slowly she let a long breath out before biting her lip. She should have asked him.

"Who are you thinking about, sweetheart?" Jerry asked. He was leaning against the counter with a coy smile.

Lenalee pulled her hands down to her side as she stammered out a quick reply, "No one important! I was just thinking is all." She dusted off her apron as she waited to hear what the master cook had to say.

"They must be pretty important for you to not pay attention to what you're doing in the kitchen." Jerry grinned and pointed to the oven.

Lenalee had forgotten to turn it on.

Embarrassed, she removed the tray to set them on top and turn it to preheat. "He's not that big of a deal…"

"So he's a boy! Do tell me more," Jerry looked to see if there was anyone at the window before hanging an 'On break' sign up and returning to the flustered teen. "How long has he been a distraction for you?"

"Um, I met him before but again on my last mission," Lenalee started. Jerry perked up at this, eager to hear more. "I was just trying to figure him out."

He smiled a little more than he thought possible, "What makes you want to figure him out?" He purred.

"I thought that he was a mean person from what people said," Lenalee explained, "But he was so good to me. I don't get it." She shook her head and frowned.

"What'd he do? Does he want to be your boyfriend?" Jerry asked.

"What?" Lenalee yipped and jumped from her seat. "There's no way! He wouldn't want someone like me. He only helped me with my injuries and stuff." Lenalee covered her face trying to hide a blush.

Her brain chose now of all times to bring up the mental image of the half naked noah. She tried to push it out with anything else as she sat back down. Allen eating, her brother, bookman, anything!

"You won't know until you ask him, Lenalee," Jerry reminded. "Now, what were these 'and stuff's that you mentioned? They sounded interesting."

Lenalee fidgeted in her seat. Drawing a circle with her foot, she looked at the floor.

"Don't worry. Nothing we say leaves this room," He assured her.

Lenalee gave him a look of suspicion, "You can't tell anyone, _especially_ Komui."

"Of course, when have I ever spilled?"

"Never," She smiled. He leaned forward waiting to hear about Lenalee's mystery man.

Lenalee readjusted in her seat, hooking her ankles around the corners of her chair. She looked around the kitchen. No one else would have been there, but she felt she was better off safe than sorry. "Well, we held hands," She quickly added on to her statement, "but it was only because he didn't want me to fall and get hurt again! And we had a nap together but we were both too tired for it to have meant anything, we're just friends after all."

After a moment of silence, she looked at the chef. He was grinning impossibly wide. "Are you sure he want's to be friends?" Jerry asked tilting his head ever so slightly.

"I'm sure. I asked him what he wanted to be and that's what he said to me." Lenalee said in a quieter tone.

"So he asked to be friends," Jerry said in wonder. "Are you sure he meant it? From my experience, if a man is asked by the person he likes if he wants to be friends then he has to agree. Although, I could be wrong."

Lenalee stared at the flour riddled counter between them and thought. Didn't Tyki ask her to be friends? Or had it been her?

She took a moment to replay the scene in her mind. Then the answer came back to her. "No, I asked him and he said yes." Lenalee's words shocked herself.

Her eyes widened at this information. If what Jerry said was true, then that meant her situation was much worse than before.

A noah could have feelings for her. But he couldn't have said it better himself Lenalee remembered.

" _Nothing's going to come out of a love between an exorcist and a noah."_ He said it on the ark. There was no doubt about it.

So this shouldn't be an issue, Lenalee thought.

"Lenalee, don't stress out over this," Jerry advised. He could tell she was focusing too hard by the way she dug her nails into the chair. "You can just ask him the next time you meet."

The rest of the day was a blur. Lenalee wound up spending most of it hauled up in her room.

She took the unworn sweater out like she had been doing the last few nights. It felt strange. Not the material but something. Mulling it over, she decided to finally try it on.

She swiftly found out why it felt off.

It was far too big. The sleeves reached down to her knees and the bottom went over skirt. The neck was not as big of a problem as she predicted. It's extra material made it cozy but could stand to be taken in. Speaking of which, it hung so loose on her body that it was almost as if she was wearing a fluffy cylinder.

Lenalee decided to ask Johnny about this predicament. She ignored the quizzical look on her way to the science division. She didn't mind, if she were them she would wonder what she was doing too.

"Hi Johnny," Lenalee waved. The sleeve hit her, propelled by the quick motion.

"Do you need some help with that?" He chuckled along with Reever and the others.

She was a pink blob with legs in a sea of discarded papers. They could hardly see her head peeking out of the fabric let alone hear her.

They helped the sixteen-year-old struggle out of her warm shell. "I want to learn how to sew," She told the bespectacled scientist.

He agreed happily. For the next few days, she would see him when he wasn't busy and learn new tips or get supplies. In her room, she would modify the sweater.

It was a fantastic way to avoid Lvellie without trouble and be productive.

She finished the modifications after staying up late at the end of her week back. The day after she wore it to show the handiwork she was proud of off.

Allen was the first to comment on it. He liked happy step she held while in it. Even beat him to the cafeteria that morning.

"How do I look?" Lenalee twirled. She had an elevated amount of excitement in the way she spoke. The sweater was more of a short dress now. It didn't flow much with her movements but rather loosely fit to her.

"Cute," Jerry said before taking her order. "I haven't seen you wear it before."

"It was a present," She gushed.

Jerry leaned forward, "Oh, is it from you-know-who?"

Lenalee swung her arms behind her back and looked about the room, "Maybe..." The bashful smile said all it needed to.

He sent her off to eat with a wink and a plate of waffles. She ate her food with Miranda as they chatted periodically.

On her coffee run, Komui admired her work. Most of the others were too afraid to comment on it in fear that he would take it the wrong way.

Johnny was glad to see she found the activity enjoyable. "What are you planning on doing next Lenalee?"

She perked up at the question, "I want to make some gloves," She told him thoughtfully.

He gave her his scrap fabric and some chalk to work with.

The first pairs she made were a disaster, so was her room. She traced her own hand well enough but hadn't left room to sew the pieces together. Eventually, she garnered better results. They fit but had too much excess bunching up inside once she turned it inward. It worked out when she snipped the unneeded parts off.

Then her real objective began.

Most of the Order was very concerned when Lenalee started going around the order asking to hold hands.

She didn't hold back in asking anyone. She asked _everyone_ she came across. Klaud, Maosa, Komui, even Brigitte. Some blatantly refused and she respected that like many of the finders and scientists. On the other hand, those like Cross and Lavi asked her before she had the chance to open her mouth.

Of the people she held hands with, she picked seven to make outlines of in chalk. Komui and Johnny were the first. Then Socalo, Krory, Madarao, Cross, and finally Jerry.

It was hard to ask what she was doing. Lenalee's requests were so casual no one questioned her behavior until she brought the chalk and material out.

After her hand holding frenzy, Lenalee made a pair of gloves with each outline. The ones for her brother and Johnny she set aside. The others, she wrapped in paper and tucked in her luggage.

As she closed the case, she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" She chimed.

"Lavi, permission to enter?" The redhead had already been in the midst of opening the door by the time he finished. He smiled at her and took a seat by her on the floor.

"Granted," She said.

Lenalee put the two pairs on top of her lap. She fiddled with the fingers of them as he looked around the room.

"How do you like it? Al and Miranda pick the room out for you," Lavi said offhandedly.

Lenalee looked out the window past his head. "Yeah, it isn't bad. It's nice and quiet at night," She said.

Lavi hummed and turned to follow where her gaze headed, "You spend a lot of time in here."

"I don't–" Lenalee began, "I suppose I do. Things have just felt different around the order."

"Yeah, with Mustache here, I thought for sure that you would be with Kanda," Lavi said. "But Yuu totally attacked me when I came in!" He showed her the bruise on his hand from the swordsman.

"Was the door locked?"

"Yeah, but if you were in there then how terrible would it have been for you to be stuck in there?" He dramatized and added much more emotion than he needed to.

"You do know that I would have been able to unlock it easily, considering doors only lock one way." Lenalee looked at Lavi, amazed the thought never dawned on him. "Why did you need to find me?"

Lavi looked at the black gloves in her hands. He sighed and spoke to her, "Komui said we've got a mission. What are you gonna do with those?"

"I was going to give them one to Johnny as a thank you and one to brother too." She responded.

Lavi glanced around the room, "What are you gonna do with the others?" Lenalee's pile of cuttings was more than big enough to have only made those two pairs he figured.

"I don't know," she said with a small shake of her head. He could tell she wasn't being honest with him. "I was just practicing." Lenalee looked to the dresser and slowly stood.

He followed suit. As she walked to her dresser, he came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "We leave tomorrow. Try and pack for a few days." He gave her a small but sincere smile. "If you aren't feeling alright let the head nurse know. I'm sure she can make them send someone else."

The eighteen-year-old bid Lenalee goodnight before he left.

It felt wrong not telling him the truth, but Lenalee knew he wouldn't understand. He proved that at dinner when she came back.

* * *

I'd love to hear any feedback or thoughts you have in the comments

Hope everyone has a fantastic 2017!


	6. Chapter 6: Apple of Discord

Aaaa finals are coming up, I might not update until the end of January or more likely somewhere in February.

Anyways, here's the new chapter. Things are a little more angsty but it'll get better ^^

* * *

On the way to their hotel, neither Lavi nor Lenalee spoke to each other. Lavi could sense the tension in the air. Although why it was there, he couldn't tell.

She left Johnny and her brother's gifts with Allen. She trusted he could deliver them while she was gone.

Their mission's details were given to them by Brigitte in a thin manila folder. There was a tip off from one of the order's supporters that there was innocence in a town in Spain causing their reported rate of crime to drop to zero. It was believed to be related to a church constructed around the time of the drop. "The townsfolk reportedly believe that they are 'sin-less.' While that is not included in your data, be mindful while investigating," The assistant with curled hair cautioned.

After putting their items in their respective rooms the exorcists joined up in the lobby.

"We don't have a lot of daylight so where you wanna start Lenalee?" Lavi asked as soon as he caught a glimpse of her red anklets. He was lounging in on a loveseat near the check-in desk, arms haphazardly crossed behind his head.

She hummed as she recalled the map layout from their folder. "There are five churches in the town. If we go by the location of this hotel that would mean we're closest to what?" Lenalee thought aloud.

"Town square," He supplied. They were at least four streets away but it sufficed.

"Okay," She decided as she squeezed to the seat by Lavi. "Not counting the one we came from there are two on the east side, one in the north, and one south."

He sighed, "You want us to split up." Exasperated, he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at her. "You're still recovering."

"Ah ah ah~," Lenalee retorted, "Finished recovering and remember: zero crime rate. I doubt there are akuma here." She smiled and rested her head in her palm.

Lenalee knew she won the argument.

"Fine!" He pushed himself off the furniture, "I'll take south since it's farther. You take north, but be careful. Call me on your golem if you're in trouble." He left the building with his own rushing to keep up with his accelerated pace.

Lavi wanted to get this over with.

She left moments after the redhead, her golem nested itself in the warmth of her sweater. Since it was cold, Lenalee put the pink dress like outfit on under her jacket. It thankfully worked as a replacement for her skirt and kept her warm as it was repaired. The top, being so bulky, had to be pulled up out of the jacket and spilled out over her shoulders. She didn't mind it, though with the chill air that signaled the onset of winter.

The townsfolk she met were kind and gave her information where they could. The church mentioned couldn't have been the one in her direction. It was too old, put there eleven years too early to match up with their information. The pastor affirmed it as well.

Lenalee wandered and spoke with the people until she was certain of this information. Having confirmed this, she contacted Lavi to let him know she was heading back.

She stopped on the way to pull her sweater down on her legs farther. The cold winds were beginning to pick up. Her teeth chattered as she ran her hands up and down her arms in quick repetition.

She prepared to break into a sprint the rest of the way when she heard and unmistakeable voice.

"Hey there, stranger!" Clark yelled. Her eyes widened as he ran up to her, Momo and Eeez not far behind.

She stopped rubbing her forearms and turned to warmly greet them, "Hey, what are you doing here?" Lenalee asked as the youngest ran into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"A few days after you left, the mine had a little cave in so we decided it was time to move on," Momo explained. "We're stopping here 'cause we thought we could look for some jobs." He adjusted the cap on his head.

She nodded and picked up the boy. Lenalee surveyed the street as she asked them more, "Do you know where you're staying?"

"Yeah," Clark chuckled, "But it's just the three of us this time. Sorry to get yer hopes up."

The exorcist moved Eeez for better balance and at the same time used his coat to partially hide her face. "What? I wasn't looking for Tyki…" She said sticking her lower lip out.

With more discussion, they found the were all headed to the same hotel.

On the way, Lenalee became aware of a new problem. Why couldn't her missions go smoothly?

"Could you all do me a favor?" She asked with a forced smile.

"Mhm."

"Go for it."

Lenalee chose her words carefully before she opened her mouth again. "Can you try and mention Tyki as little as possible when my partner is around?" She sighed, "Not at all would be preferred, but I know I'm asking a lot of you already…"

"Don't worry," Clark said patting her on the back, "We'll watch what we say. You gotta tell us what's up, though."

"Um, Lavi doesn't like Tyki very much since he was kinda mean to one of our friends a while back," Lenalee explained. "Allen doesn't hold any hard feelings but Lavi, well… Lavi is– He's a little bitter about it." She kept walking with her eyes fixed in front of her.

They kept crunching as they went over the frozen ground. Momo and Clark, who were only a few steps behind their younger friends, exchanged knowing glances.

Lavi was the one Tyki told them about.

As they approached the doorway, Lenalee set Eeez down to open the door. While doing so, she was met with the swinging door.

With haste, she pulled the eleven-year-old back as Lavi slipped on the ice. He yelled incomprehensibly as he hit the ground.

The redheaded exorcist pulled himself back up with the foolhardiness he had to run out the door. He gripped onto the door handle hissing as he rubbed his back.

"Lenalee, where were you? You said you messaged me you were coming back here twenty minutes ago," Lavi asked perturbed. He looked her up and down checking for cuts and scratches. He stopped when he saw the boy that came up to her waist holding onto her lightly. "Who's this?"

Lenalee held a hand out to him for balance, the other she rested on Eeez's shoulder. "These are my friends Eeez, Momo, and Clark. I met them last mission."

They waved stiffly. Once inside Lavi took a better look at the group. They looked familiar, why though, hadn't quite sufficed as Lenalee interrupted his thoughts.

"I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere," She said before rushing up the stairs. She used the railing to propel her up faster skipping one or two steps at a time.

In her room, she undid the clasps and shifted through her belongings. Finding what she came for, she headed back down, a dance in her step.

While Clark checked in, Momo leaned against the wall by Lavi's seat. He spoke casually, "You don't need to worry about her so much. Lenalee's a tough girl. But with that said–"

"Just because she likes you, don't go thinking I do," the bookman cut, voice level. "I'm not sure what you guys want but leave her out of it."

"That was rude," Momo said plainly. "What I was trying to say was: If you don't treat her right, you won't just have her feelings to worry about." The glare that Lavi was receiving didn't fit the smile on his face.

The exorcist turned to address the subtle threat was cut off with his final warning, "Don't you dare make her cry."

"What are you talking about? I'd never do that," Lavi scrunched his nose. How could someone say that to me of all people, he thought. Head held high, Lavi retorted, crossing his arms, "What gives you the right tell me this? What's she to you?"

"I'm back," Lenalee announced trotting down the steps. She held the package of handmade gloves.

"What took you so long? We waited for _hours_ ," Clark joked as he was handed the room key from the reception lady.

She had been gone no later than a few minutes. Lenalee laughed at his exaggeration while coming over to the scowling bookman.

"Lavi, I think you should go rest," Lenalee fretted. "Does your back hurt? I can help you back to your room."

He plastered a grin on his features, knitting his brow to sell it. "Thanks that'd be great, Lenalee," Lavi said with an earnest guise.

She tucked the crinkled container under her arm as she helped the redhead up. Momo scowled at him as Lenalee as turned her head away.

As the two ascended, Eeez came over. "We're in room 34," the boy said.

"Thanks. I'll come over as soon as I get Lavi here in bed," She said, mouth curving upwards.

Lenalee kept a hand behind his back as he walked down the short hallway to his room. Rubbing a small circle in the center, she tried to ease his pain.

When he entered the tiny room, almost identical to hers, he sat on the bed. The springs creaked under his weight. The rusty metal didn't distract Lavi, though. He gave the girl a stern look.

Lavi patted the spot next to him, waiting for her to take a seat. She declined without a word.

Lavi huffed, "You're planning on seeing them."

"Yes, I have to give them this," She said removing the package from under her arm to hold in front of her.

Lavi closed his eyes. The look she gave him told him there was no way to sway her decision. "I'm coming with y—"

"No," Lenalee interjected sternly, "You are going to stay here and rest."

"But I'm in 22. They're in 34. That's twelve rooms in between," Lavi reasoned. "What if you need help?"

"There are four rooms on this floor, Lavi. Same with the next." Lenalee shook her head, hand against it. "Plus, I'm in 33, remember?"

Exasperated, Lavi told her to do what she wanted. He laid on his side, turning away to show his displeasure.

The female exorcist put a hand on her hip and shook her head before making her exit.

She walked back the short hallway and went up the staircase parallel to the one she and her companion went up. She stopped in her room to remove her jacket and gloves.

It unbuttoned with ease. The sweater underneath, while not terribly thick, made the uniform top difficult to remove. It was already quite form fitting as is. Pulling it off, she folded it to hang over the edge of the bed. The only furniture aside from the unlit lamp hanging from the wall, if she even wanted to count it.

Going across the hall, the teen knocked on the door of her friends. They happily opened it to her. Even happier to see the eyepatch kid wasn't with her. They all sat on the floor where she readily joined them.

The space was a bit crowded, but she didn't mind at all. Noticing the cards splayed out on the old wood floor, she got settled where she could see them play easily. "What are you playing?" Lenalee inquired.

"We were gonna play poker, 'till you came over but now that you're here," Clark gathered the cards up, tapping them against the floor to even the up. "What's up?"

"Right!" She said. How could she have forgotten? "These are for you." She put set the package in front of her.

Eeez moved closer on his knees to inspect it. "What is it?" He asked with a light poke, not enough to cause the paper to make any noise.

"Why don't you open it," Lenalee encouraged. She used her hand nudged it closer to the boy.

The three smiled at him, waiting. He did the same although unable to see it they could tell from the way his eyes twinkled.

He removed the wrapping paper, gently ripping it off. Slow at first then a bit faster. It opened easily.

"What do we have here?" Momo asked raising his eyebrows as the black pieces fell out, tied in pairs with ribbon.

Lenalee rubbed her hands together and looked at the gloves, "I thought that you could use them since they'll keep your hands safer while you work and since I, uh… ruined Tyki's last time…" She trailed off moving to fiddle with her dress hem.

They thanked her and look over the five pairs. "You don't have to do so much for us," Clark said setting the pair in his hands down. "You're too nice for your own good."

"I'm not that nice of a person," She confided. "I don't care about anyone outside of my world." Her words were soft but struck a chord. The two men's eyes widened.

"Your world…?" Eeez asked.

"Sorry, my friends," She corrected, "I meant that I did this because you're all my friends."

Lenalee adjusted her position, now uncomfortable with how she had been. She moved from sitting on her knees, back straight. Now she leaned back touching the fading wallpaper, legs pulled up to her chest.

Clark, looking to change the topic, asked her another question. "Is there a _special pair_ for him?"

"Oh, yeah. I thought that the ones with the purple ribbon would fit Tyki best." Lenalee replied.

Momo snickered, "He never said Tyki's name."

"Huh?" Lenalee felt her face heat up as they laughed enthusiastically. The exorcist retreated further, burying her face in the pink folds of her outfit.

They tried to stop their outburst with little success. "C'mon, we don't mean to be mean but it's just so funny," Clark said holding his stomach.

She pouted, "I can't see why…" She lowered the fabric just enough to peer out with a glare.

"Really, you two are so oblivious," Momo added wiping a stray tear. "That or it's denial."

"I'm not in denial," she exclaimed. "Nothing is going on between Tyki and me!"

"Whatever you say," he said. "Just friends, got it." Momo winked not believing her.

"However they feel is a talk for another day," Clark put in when he saw Eeez try and hide a yawn.

"Aw come _on_ , it ain't that late."

"We can all talk more tomorrow. How long'll you be here Lenalee?"

She gave the best answer she could as that was currently unknown. "Most likely a day or two. My job should go quickly since there's two of us assigned."

While she rose from the ground the blond boy denied how sleepy he was and attempted to prolong her visit.

"How about you get ready for bed and come to my room? We can have a sleepover!" She didn't want to end the conversation either.

Eeez stood there pleasantly surprised. He didn't know what to do. Never had he spent a night away from more than one of the guys.

Clark reached over from his spot to pat the younger's back. "Go on, I bet it'll be fun," he encouraged.

"I'm right across the hall, so come over when you're ready for bed," Lenalee smiled and started heading out the door.

As she turned to shut it, in the blink of an eye it was slammed into place. Lavi stood there, hand against the center. The eighteen-year-old was far from pleased. The scowl on his face matching the fury in his eyes.

"Are you alright? How is your—" Lenalee's worried voice was cut off.

"What the hell!?" Lavi yelled. "You of all people should be resting. I heard from the medical wing that you were in terrible shape and hadn't even fought any akuma!"

Lenalee tried to clear up the misconception, raising her hands to try and calm him down. "They were only minor—"

"They were not minor! Why have you been lying to us?" He demanded.

"I'm not lying and haven't been, Lavi," She said frowning. She couldn't understand why he was so worked up. "What is this about?"

"What's this about?" The redhead snarled, bunching his hands into a fist. "You told me you didn't see Tyki, but here you are. Laughing with his friends and acting like you're all buddy-buddy with them. That's what this about!" The way he said the noah's name was like poison.

Lenalee closed her eyes, holding back tears. She couldn't cry now, so she used her hair to hide her eyes. Facing the ground she spoke quietly, "I told you I didn't run into him; I never lied."

Lavi growled and slammed his fist against the door, "You didn't tell the truth! Doesn't that make it a lie!? That bastard is the one who hurt you, wasn't—"

"Shut up!" Lenalee snapped, voice cracking as she faced him. "Tyki isn't a bad person. He can be difficult, just like you. But he's not an awful person, Lavi. This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you would be like... Like this. He wouldn't hurt me!"

"You don't know that, Lenalee. For all you know he was messing around with you!" Lavi barked. "Don't delude yourself! He's a monster–"

She held onto her arms trying to steady her shaking, voice betraying her. "You're wrong! He's kind and he helped me with my arm and everything... Tyki is incredibly nicer than you! And he promised me." She looked at his face, though obscured from tears. He looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

Lavi, eyes wide, tried to approach his friend. "No way… what happened to you, Lena?" About to touch her, she retracted.

"Leave me alone!" Lenalee cried.

Lavi stood there not sure what to do. When he got closer she backed up. When tried to smiled she lowered her head.

"Didn't you hear me the first time...?" She choked the words out. They hurt her almost as much as they hurt him, like a salt in a wound. "Go away."

He bit his lip, twisting his features in regret as he retracted his hand. There wasn't anything he could do.

So he walked away.

Lenalee slumped and let her body slide down the wall once he was out of sight. She covered her face and let the tears finish falling. She fell so small. So insignificant.

She steadied herself with the wall as she stood to unlock her door. She dried her tears on her arm before changing. This mission was going to be a hell of a lot worse tomorrow.

After setting her things in the case and it on the floor, Lenalee sat on the bed. She waited on the bed for her blond friend. It took about ten minutes but felt like forever. The light knocks were easy to hear in the silent space. "Who is it?" She asked softly.

"Eeez," the boy replied. "Can I still come over."

"Of course," she said faintly.

Once morning came, she awoke to another knocking on the door. From the pattern, it was no doubt Lavi.

While waking Eeez and taking the time to dress, she ignored the sound. Ready for the day, she opened the door and walked past the other exorcist. Her shoulder only brushed against him as she left. They didn't make eye contact as he tried to greet her. She just kept on towards the stairs, head turned.

He followed her to the lobby where she was making plans to have dinner with the three he held a newfound distaste in. They left the hotel when she saw him.

The mission went as he as well as it could. They asked about the church to those who didn't seem busy. Lavi told her what he gathered but she wouldn't respond. Lenalee would continue ahead.

Ignoring Lavi, she kept up her search in the east side of town. He followed her trying to make conversation. She didn't say a word to him. No indicative nods or gestures. Nothing.

They walked by a park when he couldn't take it anymore. "Lenalee," the redhead urged, "You can't keep this up forever. Talk to me."

She continued walking, determined to show him how angry she was. If he thought that she was going to let him insult her friends and get away with it, he was dead wrong. Lenalee wasn't going to fight him. But this was the only thing there was without getting violent.

* * *

After all, he wouldn't listen to what she had to say.

If anyone else has finals I wish you luck! And as usual, I hope you like the chapter and would love any feedback from you


	7. Chapter 7: Cold Shoulder

Hey! Hi! I have good news. Tyki's in this chapter and I passed my first final and got a C in Econ! (That was my hardest class.) Thursday, finals will be over and everything will be Good

All the Portuguese is thanks to the exchange student who was kind enough to let me ask him things.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"You can't brush me off forever, Lenalee!" Lavi exclaimed, "I'm only looking out for you. No amount of denial can make me stop. Isn't that what friends are for?!"

She bit her lip and it split, drawing a small amount of blood. She couldn't respond. They would just start fighting again, so Lenalee balled her fists and kept trudging along the path.

Lavi incredulously narrowed his eyes as he watched her continue on. He couldn't see the pain on her face. "Last night," he said. The words lingered in the chilled air. "I'm sorry, but that guy… I don't want you to be associated with someone like him or his so-called friends."

Lenalee stopped, the only response he had seen from her all day.

"He's emotionally detached. You saw how _that noah_ was in Japan." Lavi's voice was lined with spite. "He could have killed you and the rest of us multiple times but now you're suddenly best friends with him? How does that make any sense? I want to know so I _can_ help.

"The dude choked you twice! I know you're a forgiving person but come on. He put a hole in Allen's heart, he's killed so many people. He's awful and a noah! There's no way he'd be friends with an exorcist. Tyki Mikk is playing you. How can you not see it?" Lavi pleaded for the girl to see how this was.

Lenalee had considered every angle she could on Tyki's motives. Was he getting closer for kicks? No, he had his friends to consider and let her have the innocence. Hurt her? There were more than enough chances, but he still didn't. Like her? Maybe, but to what degree was impossible to tell.

She didn't understand Lavi. Hadn't he known she had gone over this an innumerable amount of times? How little did he think of her?

Lavi's mask faltered as she ignored him again. He couldn't take the silent treatment much longer. "I don't know how you could call a noah nicer than me... All you're doing is lying more. That's not right, Lena—" When she turned to walk towards the redhead his throat felt dry.

There was a ferocity in her expression that he had only seen a handful of times. "Stop." She demanded evenly, "Quit calling me a liar. If I am what does that make you?

"I've forgiven him — not for everything — but for a lot. Allen doesn't hate Tyki so why should we have to for that?" She was face to face with Lavi, the intensity of her glower made him feel like a child that was given a scolding. "Yes, the ark was so terribly unpleasant that I still don't like to think of it. No one died there, not you, me, or anyone of us.

"You keep saying, 'I'm in denial,' but take a look in the mirror! You are a bookman. What happened to being an 'unbiased recorder'? Or is this all and elaborate act. You're the biggest liar of us all!" Lenalee rebuked the ill-founded ideas he had conjured.

Hearing the harsh words spill from her mouth, she thought he would fight back. Bewilderingly, Lavi said nothing. He didn't move or look at her. His optic scrutinized the ground. She could see his clouded breath as he scrunched his nose in distaste.

She waited and watched with unwavering scrutiny.

After no reply for what felt like several minutes, Lenalee left. She was not accompanied by the redhead but could feel his gaze on her back.

Once mass ended for one of the unchecked churches, she spoke with the congregation. They led her around and let her investigate. It was an ordinary building. Pews, organ, podium, stained glass. None of it was particularly special.

The people were a little odd though. The parishioners were more than happy to bring her "a woman blessed by god" in to take a look at their humble space. They treated her unusual amount of kindness.

She was offered along with the tour, confections and a few marriage proposals. Although disappointed by her rejecting them, the women who offered for her to meet their sons followed close behind her and gave her an extensive background on the town and church.

She wished that they hadn't been sent for a mission on a Sunday.

The women wouldn't leave her alone. Even when she thanked them for their time some kept along behind her. Three women made small talk, or rather, tried to.

Lenalee lost them after claiming there was a problem and using her innocence to hightail it out of there.

In the sky, she felt relieved to be away from the group. Being alone was all she needed to destress and it felt nice using her innocence after so long. Just letting the wind blow through her hair and looking down was calming.

She landed in the park from earlier that day. It was difficult to land; the ground was full of ice. Two young kids wrapped from head to toe attempted to clap at the exciting landing. Their mittens thumping together. She sat on the wood and chain link swing in the center and wrapped her hands around the metal.

Softly kicking the ground once, she let the earth pull her back and forth. The sky reminded her of Lavi, downcast and gloomy despite it being midday. Even so, the sun was starting to show through. It just took time. Lenalee didn't think he could stay mad forever.

When it got too cold, she returned to the hotel, the redheaded exorcist was leaning against the entrance. His scarf was wrapped around his entire face. As he caught sight of her, Lavi adjusted it to only go around his neck.

Walking into the building, Lavi waited until she was inside to close the door. Lenalee didn't linger to hear if he had anything to say. She went straight up to the third floor.

First, she knocked on her friends' door. With no response, she retired.

At eight, there was a knock on her own door. She rose from the bed where she had been reading a book for the past few hours.

She opened the door to see Clark and Eeez. They were grinning as they asked, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, did you find somewhere that you liked?" Lenalee responded as she put her jacket back on. The two shared a secret glance that she almost didn't catch.

While the three walked down, Eeez was more than a few steps ahead. It was a wonder how he didn't fall from his speed. "Come on, come on!" The boy was brimming with energy as he turned to rush them.

They were definitely hiding something.

In the lobby, Eeez was bouncing on his heels as Lavi refused to have Lenalee go out and eat with them. Clark was able to get them to compromise and Lavi accompanied them.

Arriving at the bar, Lenalee and the other three looked for Momo. At a table near the middle of the room, he sat by another man drinking. They didn't have much trouble walking through the crowded room. A few bumps here and there.

At the table, Lenalee broke into a cold sweat as the other man gave her a giddy smile. He tilted his head and waved to her, his whole body leaning forward as he did. Momo tried to hold his friend up as he was slowly crushed. "Hey there linda!" He slurred, continuing to wave at the exorcist.

Tyki Mikk was plastered.

Her mini heart attack only escalated when Lavi pushed her back into Clark. " _What the_ _hell_ are _you_ doing here?" Lavi hissed and moved to take out his hammer.

"Hey this is no time to fight," Lenalee hollered. Hesitantly, Lavi backed off but didn't relax. His weapon was already half-way out.

Tyki laughed as Momo pushed him back onto his seat, clearly not sensing any imminent threat. He nearly fell off before Lenalee moved over to hold him up. As soon as she had him steady, she was about to move away to find a seat when he latched onto her waist.

Face buried in her clothes, they could barely hear him protest her leaving. "I'll sit next to you so let go," Lenalee said. He complied with a pout, stretching his arms across the table. A stupid smile reemerged on his face when she directly to his left.

Watching him, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. He was as carefree and ridiculous as ever. Lavi, on the contrary, felt like murder might not be that bad of a crime after all.

Before Lavi had the chance to sit by the girl, Eeez beat him to it. Clark took the one by the boy. That left Lavi to sit across from Lenalee and watch as the noah stuck his tongue out at him. Lavi's eye twitched; he was seething.

Tyki happily turned his head to the side to look at Lenalee. She was busy telling Lavi something he didn't care about. In fact, Tyki only registered about half of what was going on.

"Tudo bem, linda?" He asked Lenalee.

She looked over Tyki at Momo. "What's he saying?" She questioned pointing at their drunken mess of an adult.

Tyki grabbed her outstretched hand, pulling it close to himself to use as a pillow on the table. Lenalee submitted and leaned closer. Sighing at him, Momo answered, "He gets like this when he's had too much without eating. He want's to know how you're doin'."

"Oh," She said wide-eyed, "I'm doing good but my name isn't Linda."

As if it were obvious, he rolled his eyes. "Of course, you have a name that's Lenalee," he said pointing at her. "Just I state to be facts"

"Yes," She giggled at his unabashed misplacement of words. "How much have you had to drink, Tyki?"

He thought for a moment before taking his hand and linking it with hers on the table. "This many," He drawled with confidence.

Lenalee hadn't the faintest clue how many holding hands meant, but it was definitely too many. She was about to tell him not to drink anymore before Lavi snapped. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Enough!" Lavi burst, slamming his hands on the table. "Hands off Lenalee!" The slam caused the opposite effect he wanted. Tyki instead of just letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around Lenalee's side once more to pull her closer.

"Hand's off," Lavi reiterated.

"Not on her," Tyki taunted. He wasn't touching with his hands but the exorcist never said 'arms off.'

The other four tried to downplay the situation. Tyki was drunk and meant no harm. That was all that was happening.

It didn't work, no surprise there. Lavi was pissed. A noah was clinging to Lenalee like he owned her.

It was like Road with Allen but so much more painful for him to watch. Lavi could tease Allen, but Lenalee, god she seemed to genuinely enjoy the attention. He couldn't comprehend how this could be happening. The worst part for Lavi was that she hardly protested the treatment.

Tyki, as if he had been starved of human contact, held on to the young exorcist. She giggled again as he moved his head, holding on tighter as Momo tried to pull him off. It tickled slightly, the way his head was squished under her arm and against her side.

The waitress came and took their orders. She smiled at the tomfoolery at the table. Not even noticing her presence, Tyki had to be ordered for.

When their food came, Lenalee finally pushed Tyki off, to Lavi's satisfaction. He sighed in relief gaining repugnant frowns from the two on either side of him, not that he could see both of them. Momo and Clark hoped the night wouldn't get any worse. And Eeez only wished they wouldn't have to go through a repeat of the previous night.

After Lenalee had left the room, it wasn't hard to hear their voices in the hall. She and her supposed boyfriend were right outside the door after all. Plus yelling and banging were hard things to ignore as well.

They were ready to step out at any moment but knew she could hold her ground.

Keeping an eye on the redhead was so much harder than they thought it would be. Lavi's attitude appeared to be fierier than the color of his hair.

Taking a bite of his food, Tyki grimaced. "Lenalee," he grumbled, "Can't we have some of your food?"

"We thought you'd like the fish," Clark said.

"If you want to trade with me we can," She offered, moving the spaghetti plate a nudge closer.

Tyki leaned against her and huffed. "No. Your food tastes better." Moving her arm out from under him, Tyki's head fell into her lap.

"Do you mean her cooking, Tyki?" Eeez asked. He got one thumb up, just barely above the table before the noah let it fall back down.

"Her cooking is good but it's not that special," Lavi said. He had had her creations before. They weren't as good Jerry's but weren't by any means unappetizing.

Tyki whipped back up, pointing at the space between Lavi and Momo, and narrowed his eyes. "Take that back, eyepatch!" He demanded with vague clarity. "Her food is better than…" he started before tailing off from lack of thought. "I'd kill to eat it aga—"

"Woah, that's a little excessive don't you think?" Lenalee interjected, unsure if it was only drunken stupor talking now.

"Meh." He laid back on Lenalee's lap noncommittally.

"Will you quit getting so close to her?" Lavi glared before adding on insult, "four-eyes..."

"Vai-te foder."

"What did you just say to me?" Lavi shouted.

Momo and Clark's mouths were agape, "Tyki! Eeez and Lenalee are here."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Lenalee said, voice lined with skepticism. In her heart, she knew anything the two said could be nothing but rude at this time.

"Tyki's said the fuck word before," The youngest said simply and continued eating.

They all stared at the eleven-year-old, eyes wide. " _The fuck word_ ," Clark breathed before resting his head in his hands. "Tyki please… he's eleven."

After agreeing to spend the rest of the meal in silence for the sake of everyone, there was significantly less trouble. Tyki fell asleep not long after he decided he was full. Lenalee had to eat more carefully, so she wouldn't get any sauce on his head once Tyki was out. Momo and Clark would shoot knowing looks to each other periodically. This would be fun to bring up when their bespectacled friend was sober. Lavi glowered at his meat and everyone, especially the noah just barely in view. All the while, Eeez sulked having just become aware that swearing was not something he should be repeating.

The awkward silences were better than heated arguments. That was unanimous.

Once they all finished eating and the bill was paid, an extra fee for Lavi's mutilated fork added on, they had to move Tyki. As Lenalee and Eeez knew from experience: when he has a hold of you in his sleep, your only option is to twist out. Since she was sitting, it was ridiculously hard to accomplish alone.

Momo helped her out by hoisting her up by the arms. After much pushing and prodding, they woke him up just enough to get him to his feet.

Lenalee offered to help support the noah. Entirely against having her next to the man any longer, Lavi begrudgingly supported his shoulder while they walked back to the hotel. Clark had his other side and Momo held the tired Eeez. Lenalee walked in tow with her comrade, pulling her sweater collar up as a shield from the cold all the way.

Tyki _tried_ to tell the occasional joke. They were, most often, incoherent or just a meaningless punchline. He still laughed at them though. The others were only laughing at how ridiculous Tyki sounded.

Lavi would have rather just punched the line of his mouth.

The fresh air proved to be better for Tyki. He eventually didn't need to be supported by both guys. And instead. the noah leaned on Lavi so he could mess with him while the other. His words became decently intelligible but he still staggered.

He put his glasses on the teen and joked about them both being 'two-eyed' now. Lavi had half the mind to drop the older one. Seeming to sense his intentions, Lenalee smacked his free arm.

The change of pace was not, however, great for his stomach. Tyki grabbed the first thing he could to steady himself before emptying his stomach.

Lavi was horrified. He didn't know what to do other than close his eyes. If only he packed extra shoes.

Lenalee came over and held Tyki's hair back while Lavi cringed, still refusing to look. She patted his back and told the redhead to go clean up. For the first time that night, the exorcist didn't mind the two being so close and eagerly complied with her orders. Momo followed behind him, Eeez already asleep in his arms.

Clark stayed with the Chinese teen as she comforted the man between his hacking.

When the worst was over, the two helped Tyki the rest of the way to the hotel and up the stairs. He was still very much out of it and tried to climb on his own. The success rate unbelievably low. Tyki hit the ground as soon as they let go.

* * *

With this chapter, I have officially veered off course from my outline (Tyki wasn't supposed to appear but things happen you know). Once I update that then I'll probably have an idea of how many chapters there'll be. Then again, with my original plan, I thought this would have happened in chapter 3 or 4 heheh


	8. Chapter 8: Heat of the Moment

My outlines, when I make them, are a mess and are generally tossed aside very quickly.

Speaking of which, I have decided to do what I do best and wing it (outline 1.3 was defenestrated after abt 400 words into this). At this point, there is only one scene in particular that I know I will be including later on. So until I reach that, I at least know where this is headed. After that, however, I might start to actually wrap things up... depending on how I get there that is;;

On another note, finals are over! I passed all my classes. Mostly with A's and B's too! My new schedule is fantastic. I have three language classes! ( ^^)

* * *

It was decided that it was best for Tyki to stay with Lenalee for the night. He was too rowdy and, frankly, none of them trusted him to be without supervision. That and Lenalee reminded Momo and Clark they needed to rest for work.

Tyki flopped down on her bed as soon as he entered the room. "C'mere," he said patting the empty space beside him. She laughed, shaking her head while she removed her jacket.

"I'm fine. I think I'll take the floor," Lenalee said.

The noah groaned, "You're sleepy? I wanna talk..."

She tossed her jacket on her bag. "Alright, make room," Lenalee said before going to the bed. Sitting next to him, Lenalee leaned her head on his shoulder. With the dip and size of the bed, she didn't have much of a choice where she could lean. "What's up?"

"Lavi's mean," Tyki mumbled, putting his chin on top her head.

"I think it's subjective; he thinks _you_ are a jerk." Tyki lazily pulled her hand into his lap where he held it. He sighed. It wasn't what he wanted to hear but he wasn't surprised.

Lenalee removed her head from his shoulder, moving it so she could look at him. "Why are you so mean to him, Tyki?" If she knew then maybe, _maybe_ they could work it out.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back before looking at her again. "'Cause he's a salty little bitch," Tyki said bluntly.

Lenalee groaned and threw her head against his chest, lightly hitting him with it. "That makes no sense!" she complained. "Why can't you be sober?" Repeatedly, she thumped her forehead against him.

"Why can't you?" He pouted.

Looking back up at the man, Lenalee huffed, "I am, Tyki. I don't drink." She stood and pushed herself off the bed. "I'm going to get you some water, alright. Don't go anywhere, understand?"

"I'll do whatever!"

"Stay! Do you want me to get mad?"

Dejected, he sunk down on the bed and folded his arms. Tyki puffed his cheeks and looked the other way to show her he wasn't pleased with her choice. Lenalee couldn't tell if this was like being in charge of a dog or a child.

Lenalee returned with a glass and pitcher only to find him sprawled out on the bed. She handed him the glass which he drank without protest. In a few gulps, it was empty. He sat up just enough to be able to guzzle the contents down.

When she set the containers next to her book she noticed his glasses were also off.

"Don't you need these to see?" She held them up and examined them. With lenses that thick it was a wonder how he was able to fight without them.

"Nah," He mumbled before turning to lay on his side. "My eyes are fine."

Tyki watched as Lenalee replaced them and moved to join him on the bed. Rather than softly take the place he had left open for her, Lenalee did a small leap and landed so she knocked Tyki over and now laid across his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him sooner than he registered her feet leaving the ground.

Seeing the baffled expression on his face made the exorcist giggle. She thought she ought to catch him by surprise more often.

It didn't take long before he recovered. Tyki took the opportunity to attack. He leaned forward, trapping her underneath him.

"Stop it," she said between laughs, "No more tickling!" It was contagious as he found himself laughing too.

She retaliated by trying to do the same back once he ceased the annoying touches. Her hands passed right through him. "Unfair," she pouted. "You can't use powers!"

He grinned before purposefully collapsing on top of her. She huffed as he spoke. "Who said anything about playing fair?" Tyki wrapped his arms around her neck. Although unable to bring her any closer he felt more at ease.

"Come on Tyki, off," she mustered, barely able to breathe, "Please."

He rolled over so they were face to face on their sides. "Better?" The noah grinned.

"Sure."

She couldn't help but smile at his playful attitude. It was nice seeing this side of him. Like last time, it was almost as if they were two normal humans. No innocence or dark matter crap to sour the fun. Speaking of which, a thought entered her mind.

"Why were you drinking so much earlier?" She asked as she readjusted herself to let her head rest on his arm.

Tyki let out a long grown and pretended to gag. He hoped she wouldn't have asked that or at least that she had asked earlier when his noah genes hadn't had the chance to get him this sober.

"Come on!" She pressed, her tone sweet. "You'll feel better when you tell someone…"

His eyes told her that was hard to believe. Nevertheless, the man couldn't leave her hanging. It wouldn't sit well. "I had to go to a family meeting." Lenalee nodded, encouraging him to go on. There was more to it.

"Afterwards, Road dragged back home and my brother was so _annoying_. He keeps telling me I need to get married and 'settle down.' Talk about a bad time…" Tyki grimaced by the mere recollection of the encounter.

He knit his brow, confused by Lenalee. "What's with that look?" He questioned.

She tried to duck her head out of embarrassment. Lenalee hadn't realized she was smiling at what he said. "It's funny," She said trying to keep a straight face to no avail.

"No. It's not."

"Yeah, it is," she giggled. "Your brother sounds like the complete opposite of mine. Komui tries to go after anyone if he even thinks they might be interested in me."

Tyki grinned, "I'd trade Sheril for that any day."

Lenalee raised one eyebrow, "Can you handle clingy and overprotective?"

"You'd be disgusted by the level of intimacy he tries to pull with me," he deadpanned. "I can barely handle hugs from him, but kisses? _Blegh_."

"I suppose all older siblings are the same then," she mused. Tyki grumbled at this but smiled.

It was nice to have something in common.

Looking back to her he sighed. He felt so far away from her. The exorcist was right up against him but somehow she felt worlds away. Like she would disappear when he closed his eyes.

Lenalee didn't, though. When Tyki opened his eyes she was there.

Her eyes closed as she relaxed against him. One hand rested between their chests and the other on his side. His free arm was, likewise, on her waist after moving.

The noah deeply exhaled once more. He knew they shouldn't be touching like this, more so that eyepatch was only a floor beneath them. Tyki couldn't help it, though.

Any moment or chance to get closer he would take.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he felt Lenalee's hand touch his face. There he could see an intense amount of concern on her features. She bit her lip before speaking quietly, "Is there something else bothering you?" She knit her brow and fixed her sad gaze on the one in front of her.

"N- no. I'm fine, just a little hot is all," Tyki pushed his hair back and looked around. That was believable right?

Lenalee sat up and his eyes widened as she pulled her sweater off. His mouth felt dry as she lifted her arms over her head.

Tyki was equally disappointed and relieved to know she had something on underneath. He averted his gaze from her body conforming shirt and bottoms, not really sure if she was about to change or what.

"Do you want to take your shirt off too?" Tyki could hear the pounding of his heart as she asked him that.

"Too?" He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't like the stupid redhead but he wasn't about to look. No matter how much he wanted to.

"What's with you? Didn't you say you were hot?"

"I'll be fine just– just put your clothes back on!" He could feel his cheeks heating up. There was no way this is real.

"Tyki, please," Lenalee smirked. "I only took my sweater and socks off. Nothing else." Hesitantly, the noah opened an eye. Sure enough, the teen was standing there black top, shorts, and all. Her discarded clothes lay in a pile on the floor beside her.

Honestly, he felt like she was going to give him a heart attack. And to think, she said he was being unfair not too long ago.

Feeling hot wasn't really a lie anymore. His face felt like it might melt right off as he threw his shirt aside. That was all he felt comfortable removing.

Lenalee tried to rest her head on his arm again but before she could, he turned over. With his back to her, Tyki hoped that she couldn't sense the unbearable embarrassment that had come over him. She was fine with it, though, and rested it, instead, on her palm. "I think you should get some rest," he said.

Unfatigued, Lenalee watched Tyki. She hadn't realized when the color of his skin shifted to the dark gray-tinted one of a noah. It was curious to her if he had even noticed. She hadn't ever really thought about it before. Was it like innocence? Did he just will it? If so, did it not cooperate sometimes?

She lightly traced the cross made by Allen's sword, pushing the pointless questions aside. The lighter skin was rough in comparison to the rest of his back and more sensitive, she noted. He adjusted often but didn't say anything.

"Say," Lenalee started, her finger lingering for a moment. "I was thinking… about Lavi."

"Do we have to talk about him again?" Tyki cut.

She hesitated. "There were some, uh, misconceptions about what happened on my last mission."

"What?"

"Misunderstandings, I mean. See– well," She began drawing circles on the man. "Some people thought that I may have done some inappropriate things with you. Of course, they didn't know I saw you last time but…"

"But what Lenalee?" He asked, unsure where this was going.

Lenalee flattened her palm against him and touched her cheek to his shoulder blade. Her words were a little above a whisper, "Lavi might think that we slept together."

She bit her lip and waited for a reaction.

After some thought, Tyki responded. "But we _did_ sleep together…? Twice-ish." Really, was it such a big deal?

Lenalee shook her head, lightly tickling him with her hair. "No, I mean he thought we had sex, Tyki."

"Oh," Tyki paused, taken aback. "What an ass," he scowled.

"What?"

"What?"

Tyki turned over to look at the girl. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was parted, not sure what to say. He looked just as confused with one brow higher as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his words.

"Why does that make Lavi an ass?" Lenalee questioned.

He contorted his features with a quizzical look. "Because he thinks you would cheat... You deserve so much better than someone like that."

"But what am I cheating on?"

"Lavi."

"How, though?"

Tyki pursed his lips at her question. Something was clearly wrong. "Is he not your boyfriend?"

The exorcist covered her mouth before he could catch the toothy grin on her face. "No. I've never had a boyfriend," she replied looking at him.

"...But on the ark and today… he seemed close to you," Tyki voiced. He looked away thinking of the times they had interacted. There hadn't been a doubt in his mind before now.

Lenalee put her hands on either side of his face before he could turn away to hide his discomfiture. Following, she adjusted herself on the bed so there was sparse space between them once more. "Why do you care, Tyki?" She asked hopefully.

"I…" The noah trailed. The look in her eyes didn't feel right. Like she was expecting him to push her away. There was fear.

Sighing, Lenalee moved again. She rested her arms on the noah's side; Tyki pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. Affably, he tucked her head under his chin.

He couldn't think of what to say or do as they laid there. He wanted to comfort the girl but he didn't know if what he might say would hurt her or him more. Tyki, now more than ever, didn't want to admit his friends were right. He was in love with Lenalee, but one wrong move any they would be back to enemies.

Hours later brought unwelcome noise to Tyki's ears. He could not find a way to sleep with her up against him.

Knocking three more times, Lavi waited outside Lenalee's room tapping his foot. He had knocked on her door ten minutes ago and another twenty before that. Nevertheless, he was prepared to wait.

The boy figured she was pissed off at him for how he was behaving. But it was hard to be courteous when there was a brute who can't keep his hands to himself right in front of him.

As the handle turned, Lavi prepared to apologize.

Stunned eyes met each other as the noah pulled the wooden door towards him. "Before you say anything, it's not what it looks like," Tyki cautioned.

The redhead looked passed the noah and in the blink of an eye, he felt like he was going to scream. Lenalee was lying on the bed asleep with a blanket. The clothes strewn across the floor, though, made his gaze dart back to the older man in front of him.

"Dear god, you didn't," Lavi rushed, he felt like was going to be sick.

Tyki smirked. Teasing him shouldn't be a problem if they weren't romantically involved. He shrugged and spoke nonchalantly, "We spent the night together. Big whoop, what'cha gonna do about it, eyepatch?"

"You did," he gagged, raising his arm defensively. When he tried to enter the room, Lavi found himself being blocked by Tyki's arm.

"Out of the way Mikk," Lavi growled. He was all ready to activate his hammer. He had been itching to use it ever since he saw the noah.

"What's going on," Momo asked groggily. "It is three in the morning."

"Hey, Momo," Tyki said pushing Lavi back, palm on his face.

The one who had been rudely awoken by the heated skirmish pinched the bridge of his nose. "God damn it, Tyki," he whispered to himself. "Can't we keep the excitement down for a few more hours."

"It's not my fault," Lavi bit as he smacked Tyki's hand away. "This perv put the moves on my friend!"

"I told you I didn't– keep your voice down Lenalee is sleeping– It's not what you think," The noah huffed.

Lavi pushed him out the way, ignoring the warning. "If it isn't 'what I think' then let me in!"

Tyki rubbed his shoulder after being forced into the doorframe while Lavi ran to her side. The exorcist didn't spare a moment of time. He activated his innocence on the way over and shook her until she awoke.

Holding her head, Lenalee groaned, "What is going on?" She squinted through the darkness not able to put her eyes into focus just yet. "What time is it?"

"Time for us to leave," he scowled looking at Tyki. Clark was up by this point as well and asked their friend about the situation at hand.

Her companion glanced around before taking his jacket and the closest fabric and throwing it over her her head, unable to see what was what in the dim light.

He yanked Lenalee to her feet without warning and pulled her past the three standing in the hall. As she and Lavi went by them, she stumbled behind, an arm's length away, trying to figure out just what was going on. At the same time, the men were thrown off by the redhead's behavior.

Lavi kept up his quick pace down the stairs as he dragged Lenalee along, only going slow enough so that she wouldn't fall. In the lobby, he did not stop even then.

"Lavi, what's going on?" The girl asked. The grip on her arm was bruising.

Tearing through the cold night air, they kept going until they reached the church that held their ark gate. Lavi wouldn't answer any of the questions she demanded of him the entire time.

After returning back to the order, Lavi let go. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Am I okay? Not anymore!" She yelled. "You woke me up in the middle of the night and pull me around without saying a word. My feet and legs are freezing and I am tired."

"The noah was right there," Lavi countered.

"Tyki didn't do anything. In fact, you're a thousand times more insensitive." Lenalee took his uniform and threw it at him.

Lavi was taken aback, "Didn't he hurt you? You should go to the medic—"

"Don't touch me!" She cried, slapping the hand he offered her. "See this," Lenalee said pointing to her arm and it's reddened surface. "You did that!"

"Lenalee, Lavi, are you two alright?" Komui came running over accompanied by Allen and their two shadows Link and Bridgette.

"Of course not," she said glaring at the one in front of her, wiping her tears as they approached.

"Allen said the ark had been used, but we hadn't expected you to return at this time," Link informed.

Komui gingerly put a hand on his sister. "Are you alright?" He asked Lenalee.

"There was a noah," Lavi responded. The branch head shot a worried look to him.

Link coughed to draw their attention, "I hate to ask this now, but what of the innocence?"

"We didn't find any."

"Putting that aside," Bridgette redirected, "how are you, Lenalee?"

"Tyki—" Lavi started before she went off.

"Tyki didn't do anything to hurt us," Lenalee piqued at the redhead. "You're the only one who hurt me, Lavi."

"But I saw him!"

"But that doesn't excuse anything!" Lenalee screamed stepping forward, drops spilling from her eyes once again. Komui and Bridgette put their hands in front of her to keep Lenalee from attacking.

Allen waited until Link escorted Lavi back to his room and for Komui's assistant to retrieve someone from the medical department to say what was on his mind. That gave Lenalee enough time to calm down from her outburst. "From all I know about Tyki, he isn't the type of person to attack without a warning," Allen muttered.

Sinking to her knees Lenalee buried her face. "That's because he didn't attack us! We saw him last night and he was drunk, like, happy drunk. He was really nice to me, kind of a jerk to Lavi, but there was no fighting."

"And you're sure?" Komui inquired, lightly rubbing her shoulder.

She lifted her eyes as if to ask why he was doubting her, "Brother, the only fighting that happened was between Lavi and I. He's been acting weird and I still don't get it…"

* * *

I'd like to make it known that I don't hate Lavi since he's coming off as more of an ass than before.

I was happy to realize that I'd be updating on the 1st of February. I really underestimated how much I stress write haha... Thank you for reading this newest update! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts


	9. Chapter 9: Open Secret

Aaaa goodness me! I came back to this on ao3 to see where I left you off at the end of chapter 9 only to realize I didn't post this chapter last weekend (/)

* * *

Over several weeks, Lenalee settled into the routine of having breakfast, learning from Jerry, having her lunch, then serving the scientists coffee before heading to bed. The extra time in her day she spent most often alone or with Allen.

She had lost more than tangible items on the mission with Lavi. That was indisputable. She lost his trust and he hers. It was impossible for them to even hold a conversation.

Allen tried to be a mediator between the two for the first week. He found ways for them to end up training or working on something together. He thought there must be something they could bond over again but it always ended in a fight. They never knew who would be the one to initiate the spat but not seeing each other prevented that in Lenalee's opinion.

Meanwhile, Kanda, like most others picked sides. Since the six tried to keep the conflict under wraps, many were left unaware of the what set the two exorcists off. Rumors arose in turn. With the upheaval, it wasn't easy to remain unbiased with the two exorcists having been so close to not only each other but the entire order.

Lenalee still interacted with Miranda, Kanda, and Allen frequently. In fact, she felt even closer to them. Kanda refused to speak with Chaoji who began to treat the Chinese girl the same as he did Allen. Most other relationships weren't as cut and dry.

The welcoming air that used to be around hung by a string.

But it wasn't all bad. Lvellie wasn't there and missions separated them.

A month later forced Lenalee and Lavi to interact with each other. The two were informed that the had received a package waiting for them with Link.

Begrudgingly, she went to see what it was that the inspector had in the library. Lenalee figured this was just new a way for Komui to try and patch up their torn friendship.

Sure enough, Allen, Link, and Bookman were sitting around one of the desks. Lavi was picking up the books on the surrounding floor space. Lenalee took one of the two empty seats and crammed it right between the blond and white haired men.

Allen and Link didn't mention how inconvenient the seating was on account of her icy stare.

"This was delivered here two days ago but the chief thought it would be best that you wait to open it when Lavi returned," Link said before returning to the papers he had in front of him. "We were going to do this last week but your and Krory's mission took longer than expected."

On that mission they ran into unexpected trouble: the akuma would steal the innocence and give it back. It happened over and over until the two were sick of the stupid little game and finally recovered it.

Lavi pulled the box over and looked it over, "Where's the return, two dots?" All the teen could find on the box were tons of tape and their mailing address no matter how he turned it.

"There wasn't one," Link informed. He readjusted his glasses and slid the stack of work to Allen who immediately groaned.

"Just open it already," Lenalee rapped her nails on the wood, waiting.

Lavi looked to the girl avoiding eye contact with him. She had her head turned to look at Allen's work, not that it was very interesting. Mission reports rarely ever were.

Pulling out his innocence, Lavi used the tip of his hammer to cut the top of the box open. The resistance from the tip's dull nature caused Bookman to shake his head in disappointment and to retrieve a small knife from his pocket to hand his apprentice. After that, the cardboard flaps gave way to what lay inside.

Veiled and obscured by tissue paper, they could not see the contents until Lavi reached to pull the paper away. In the process, a few items fell on the table. Candies and two letters scattered themselves across the oak surface. In the box were more sweets in a layer, almost like padding.

While Lavi grabbed the letters, Lenalee drug the package to her end of the table. He flipped them over to see which was for who, sliding hers across to be caught by Link. As he opened it and began reading aloud she sifted through the mound of candy. Allen, mouth watering, graciously accepted a hand full of sugar that he gladly popped in his mouth.

"Dear apprentice," Lavi said after clearing his throat. "I know you are upset about your mission. Here are some apology-thank you candies for your trouble."

Allen stopped unwrapping the eleventh one in front of him and coyly smiled, "Uh, sorry Lavi."

"It's fine dude," the redhead responded before returning to the note.

"He can be a total handful when he's drunk but he's harmless, usually. Let's have fun the next time we see each other! Bye bye," Confused, Lavi looked at the signature. "It says it's from 'R' but I can't think of someone with that initial that would do this. I mean Reever is the only thing I'm comin' up with but that can't be right."

Lenalee sighed, "It's from Road." She pulled out her jacket from the crinkling mess. "Who else would have this and write like that?" Allen hacked on the undissolved sweets, a tear ready to fall after almost choking on them from the shock.

Lavi reread the letter and it clicked. Whipping his head up, stunned to see her unfazed by what just came to light. "Wait, don't just accept it. It could be full of needles— Don't put it on Lenalee!"

"Too late, it's on. Does it look like I'm in pain?" She asked glaring at him as she fastened the buttons. "What does my letter say?"

The inspector adjusted his reading glasses and opened the envelope. "Dear Lenalee," Link spoke in a monotone. "How have you been? I would love to see you and so would Tyki. Ever since he came back he won't shut up about you! I included your uniform with some extra special absolutely adorable adjustments too. Hope you love it."

Link looked at the jacket and noticed there were some changes. Black lace was added on the sleeves and bottom hem. Finner red lace was put on around the existing trim as well. Pulling her belt out of the box, they could also see the same was done to it as well.

"Now what?" Allen asked, rubbing his throat. Lavi was too stunned to say a word as she reached her hands in again. He bit his fingernails, not sure if there was going to be a trap at the bottom. It was Road they were talking about.

"I think you should take your hands out of that," Lavi urged.

Bookman eyed his apprentice and her wearily. "Why don't you overturn it if you're looking for something in particular. It may be faster," he suggested.

Nodding, Lenalee flipped it over letting everything cascade out on the surface. It was all candy. Disappointed in what she saw, Lenalee turned the box to sweep it all back in.

After the candy was cleaned up, she shoved the box into Lavi's arms. "Here," she huffed.

"I don't want it!" Lavi said pushing it back.

The girl took the package and went to the blond. Grabbing the letter and belt to shove in with the sweets, Lenalee left the library.

On her way out she cursed her actions. Why couldn't she be nicer to her friends? All she wanted to do was scream at him. This isn't what anyone wanted. Lenalee wasn't supposed to be like this. Lenalee was supposed to be nice and sweet like the candy in the box she was digging her nails into.

She didn't even ask Allen how he was after coming back.

At her door, she flung the door open and threw the box against the wall. Lenalee didn't know what was wrong with her. It's not like she could talk to her brother. No, Komui was on Lavi's side. Jerry was out of the question too.

It was like they all pitied her. The sad, disappointed looks they gave her didn't help anyone.

The exorcist felt like every time she tried to fix what was breaking it became irreparable. Her life was falling apart right before her eyes and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Lavi was gone, so was her brother and half the order.

It was because they didn't understand. But Lenalee didn't even understand herself. She shouldn't have felt happy that the noah was thinking of her. She should be terrified.

She grabbed onto the doorframe and looked at her room. This is what she had come to. Her room was still as empty as it had been, as empty as she was.

She walked in and shut the door with her back. Sliding to her knees, Lenalee looked at the box. It was caved in with everything strewn about the floor.

She sat there hugging her legs for what felt like hours. As she sat she listened to the rare footsteps that happened by. When two pairs stopped outside.

"What do you want?" Lenalee asked before they had a chance to knock.

"Lenalee," Allen said, "open the door."

"It's not locked," Lenalee responded, moving out of the way. "But Link can't come in," she added as the teen entered.

Apologizing, Allen closed the door and sat against the wall next to the Chinese girl. He closed his eyes and brought his arm around her shoulder. In the quiet, she leaned her head on him.

Allen rubbed her arm and spoke softly. "How are you?"

She didn't trust her voice and said nothing.

"If you ever need to talk to me I'll listen," he explained. "I don't want to see you hurting like this. They might not listen or try and hear your side of things but you can't give up, Lenalee. I know things are complicated but… you'll make it. You just have to smile and keep going forward."

Pulling away, she looked out the window at the cloudy sky. "I don't know where forward is, Allen. My emotions and thoughts don't make any sense."

Turning to her, Allen gave her a small smile. "Forward is where you want it to be. Don't let other people tell you that... Just don't be afraid to ask questions to make sure you're headed in the direction you want," he said with utmost sincerity.

"Thanks," she said under her breath.

The sat in silence for a few minutes, until Link knocked on the door and opened it to see what was going on. Before he left Allen spoke once more, "If you feel up to it I'll have lunch with you later."

Lenalee nodded, but when the time came and went she stayed. Neither at dinner nor breakfast the next morning did she leave the room. Instead, she cleaned up the mess she made and slept. Dragging herself out of the room felt as draining as it was to stay there.

On her way to the science division, Lenalee got an apple to eat. Not caring to sit down and have a meal. She showed up and was fortunate to find that Johnny was awake and working. After a quick hello, she showed him the returned jacket so he would be able to cross it off his long list of duties.

Unsurprisingly, many people whispered behind her back. Word had gotten out almost as soon as Link reported who the sender of her and Lavi's "gift" was.

She noticed it in the cafeteria first. Their whispers were insufferable.

How could her world turn against her?

Leaving to find a quiet place to train, Lenalee continued on with her days seldom interacting with those around her. She stopped making coffee after the side conversations became too much to handle, training felt like it drained her, and eating felt like a hassle. So instead of doing those things, Lenalee slept.

If she left her room it was to find a book that she all too quickly abandoned or to clean up. But it all felt pointless. The way she walked around the order, eyes trained to the ground so she wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

Miranda and Kanda stopped by, usually to make sure she ate. Allen tried to stop by and talk but she never knew what to say.

Should she talk about how much she screwed up? How she should have gotten rid of Tyki before they got close? How much she hated the noah? Because if Lenalee did, she knew she would be lying.

Lenalee didn't regret how she treated the man. She cared about him and hoped from the bottom of her heart that he did the same for her. At the very least, he could take the physical one to match the one he already took and end her suffering.

"Lenalee? Are you in there?" The concerned voice and knocking woke the exorcist up from her sleep. Judging from the sun setting out her window this day she had slept until it was at least six in the evening.

She quickly threw on clean clothes and opened the door. "What do you need?" she asked, finding herself with the urge to close the door on the one in front of her.

Komui creased his brow at the sight of his little sister. He hadn't seen her come to see him for the longest time. There were bags under her eyes from how much she was sleeping and her now longer hair was unkempt. "What's happened to you? I can't help you if you don't tell me," Komui said with sorrow.

"What does it matter? No one listens to me! When Lavi and I came back all you did was act like I was a victim– You ignored everything I said," she elaborated as he opened his mouth to speak. "You are always saying that it would feel better if I just talked to someone about it when nothing happened!"

"I'm sorry," Komui said patting her head, "but I'm only trying to look out for you."

She bit her lip and moved his hand away. Softer now, she spoke, "What do you need?"

He took deep a breath and looked away from his sister, not that she could see. Lenalee hadn't looked at his face the entire time. He resigned to pull an embossed envelope from his lab coat.

As she opened it, she finally met his eyes. "What is this?" She asked before examining the invitation more.

"It came today. Apparently, on one of your missions, you met a relative of this minister and he would like to meet you and hear more about the order."

"Sent it back and let them know I'm not interested," she held it back out for him to take.

"As much as I don't want you to go either, you have to," he confessed. "It came to us through Central. Their directions were for us to treat it as a mission. You won't have to fight but you'll be going without any other exorcists."

With reluctance, Lenalee dropped her hand with the envelope to her side. "Fine. I'll fill it out now then."

She closed the door and returned to her bed. There she grabbed the first pen she found and tested it before making her responses on the R.S.V.P.:

Will you be able to attend this event?

Yes.

Do you have anyone that will be chaperoning?

No.

Would you be available for dinner?

Yes.

Placing it back in the envelope, Lenalee returned to the door and handed the papers to her brother. "There! I said I can attend," she grimaced and folded her arms, "Anything more?"

"...No. You can talk to Allen and our new exorcist Timothy's tutor, Emilia, for dancing practice." Hesitating Komui added on, "You can also talk to me… If you want to."


	10. Chapter 10: Silver Lining

I had so much trouble with some of the scenes in this that I rewrote some of them a few times...

I hope you like it and maybe tell me what you think at the end! As always thank you for taking the time to read my work, I really appreciate it ^^

* * *

Upon her arrival, Lenalee was pleased to learn that she would have some time to herself. The servant who had been designated to greet the exorcist was kind enough to lead her indoors. Before leaving Lenalee, he requested she stay seated for the time being.

Looking across the floor, Lenalee noticed there were a great deal a people in attendance. All of whom she didn't know. It would be a miracle to be able to discern who the host was amidst the sea of high society.

The exorcist fit in just swell. Her hair was curled into a multitude of ringlets that came down to just below her chin. The makeup Emilia taught her to apply made her dark circles disappear and gave her the guise of a healthy physical state. It completely masked the way she felt.

Even though it was an odd way to meet, Timothy's tutor got along well with Lenalee. She helped her brush up on etiquette and general ball norms from her experiences. In their less productive moments, the two discussed their opinions of men.

While she crammed everything that a noble girl would normally study for years, in a week and a half, Johnny was just as busy as her.

He had to, along with his work, find time to create a dress for her.

It was a standard ball gown. A red dress with a pair of white gloves and choker to accessorize. The necklace bore a conservatively sized rose cross.

The most obvious difference from the other girls living it up on the dancefloor was, strangely, how they all seemed to travel in pairs. She understood the gentlemen were not to leave a lady unattended. But really? The ones away from men weren't alone either.

Lenalee shifted in her seat, it was like she was in the cafeteria and everyone was in their cliques. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

The ones who were off the dance floor gathered in circles. Some mingled, mainly the younger women and men but a reasonable number of older guests drifted about.

Still, though, it was annoying. Lenalee didn't know a single person there. Maybe if the servant that had led her to this position had given her some information or if she had taken the time to read the invitation, rather than just respond, Lenalee would understand her situation more. Maybe what the minister looked like? That would be nice. Even with that bother, she held her head high and smiled, just as Allen instructed her.

They couldn't hate her if she made it hard to find flaw… or at least that was the advice he gave the teen. She really worried about him... the dark look in his eye when Allen gave her the insight really stuck with her.

The wait lasted no longer than fifteen minutes. Although Lenalee couldn't have said she was ready for this when she first arrived, watching the way couple interacted she began to understand how to fine tune the high society manners that were drilled into her. Be docile and keep quiet.

"I do apologize for the wait, Miss Lee," said a woman in a rosy dress with blonde hair.

Lenalee stood to greet her, instinctively moving her hand to give a firm shake. "It was no trouble, rather— How do you do?" She said nervously.

"I am fine now. My name is Tricia Kamelot. I am Sheril's wife and, if you would allow it, your chaperone for the night," the woman, Tricia, smiled in a curious way. She crinkled the corners of her eyes with it, genuinely interested in meeting the younger girl.

Lenalee almost forgot. From all the ball rules, this was one of the most important: a young woman cannot be left unattended. She lightly brushed aside a strand of hair and accepted the offer. She was more than a little embarrassed that she was so perturbed to be in attendance when they went to the trouble to do this for her.

After asking to sit with the Chinese girl for a moment, Tricia was excited to give her some minor tips. They were mostly ones that she had already learned. Listen politely, refrain from slang, and to accept a request to dance unless feeling faint or otherwise engaged to dance with another. Even so, Lenalee was a glad to hear kind advice from the woman whom she just met.

Away from the seating, Lenalee quietly followed Tricia to the more populated area that she had mentally noted as the "clique-skirts." The name was well suited she felt, as most people chattering away gathered around the dancefloor.

The two stopped after passing several people. Tricia spoke with the women or men in a group in order to present Lenalee and make light conversation. With several introductions and new acquaintances made, Lenalee was asked to dance a few times within the first hour of the night.

"How are you enjoying the ball, if you would permit me to ask?" Tricia asked while the two sat after the exorcist was returned the lady's side by her most recent partner.

"It is quite nice. I'm sorry that I may seem uninterested," Lenalee said opening her fan to hide her frown from the other guests, "Being at a ball and meeting so many people is just a tad overwhelming."

Giggling the blonde replied, "Yes, I understand what you mean. It is terribly difficult, what with so many names and faces to remember. My first ball was like that too."

Frequently Lenalee sat with Tricia when she wasn't dancing in order to let the older one rest. Her health seemed delicate but not immensely serious. And while dancing she had to admit, the names and faces did seem to blend together. All the men in black suits did not leave very strong impressions. Rather, nothing they said had any substance. It was always about the weather or an inquiry of Mrs. Kamelot's well-being. They should have realized from the way she had been introduced to them that this was her first time meeting any of the Kamelots.

Contemplating whether she should use faintness as an excuse to leave the room, escape the unbearable humidity, a familiar figure made his way over. A soft click on the marble with each long stride.

"Would you permit me to sit by you, Miss Lee?" Tyki asked.

The girl stared wide-eyed at him, timidly nodding. Saying she was surprised to see him was an understatement, as she opened her mouth to speak before closing it. After a few moments of her deciphering the thoughts in her head, she turned to look at Tricia. The woman smiled and nodded her head, once to her, then to him.

"Is something wrong?" Tyki asked, drawing her attention back. "Are you not happy to see me."

Lenalee shook her head, "No, I'm really glad… It's just, why are you here?"

Tyki raised a hand to his mouth, perplexed. Narrowing his eyes, the noah thought for a moment, "I thought I told you about my brother?"

"I haven't met any other Mikks here," Lenalee said before she heard Tricia repress a small laugh.

"Excuse me," she apologized, "I was not aware that you did not know. My husband, the minister, is his older brother."

Lenalee silently nodded as Tyki apologized for the misunderstanding and sat. There was a sneaking grin on his lips the whole time.

Scratching his cheek lightly, Tyki's gaze wandered around the floor as the talked to the teen. "It feels like it's been years since we saw each other," he said.

Opening her fan, Lenalee raised her right hand so he couldn't see the stupid face she thought she was making. "No," she corrected, "It has only been a little over two and a half months." Lenalee could feel herself internally screaming. She wished she could have said something normal. Now he knew she'd been counting and wanted to smack herself.

"Ha, yes. I suppose it felt like longer to me," Tyki said, voice a bit wobbly. He, likewise, felt foolish after his first comment. Of course, she didn't miss him that much, he thought. He was just getting his hopes up for no reason. "How are things with that little bi—" Tyki started to ask before catching himself and clearing his throat. "Exorcist. The one with the red hair."

Lenalee closed the fan and pressed it to her lips, hardly able to contain her laugh as her shoulders shook. "My associate is well, but we don't speak anymore," she replied. It was comforting to hear Tyki hadn't changed. He was as casual as ever even at a formal event — a little too much. Lavi's new nickname would have been a major slip-up even she knew that without being told.

She watched as he ran a glove through his hair and turned his face away. For a fraction of a second, she could have sworn he looked guilty before the barely covered smile on his face came up. It was a look that made it hard to tell if it was out of joy or something else.

As he glanced back over to look at Lenalee, he immediately looked away, nervously running his thumb over his bottom lip. "Will you dance with me?" He asked without much of the confidence she was used to hearing.

"I would like that," she said coyly curving the corners of her mouth up.

As they both stood, her taking his arm, they saw Tricia merrily watching their interactions. She gave them a small wave before they realized that they had forgotten about her while talking.

On the floor, Lenalee and he prepared for the music to start. They moved their hands into position, Tyki waiting for the music to start before allowing himself to place it on the small of her back.

During the dance, Tyki felt he was overly conscious of where his hands were. He thought he was moving the way he always did but felt he was going to miss a step any moment. And to his relief, he didn't… much.

Lenalee enjoyed being close to the noah as they went through the movements. Partway through, when his grip tightened she was mildly ashamed to feel her heart skip a beat. She knew having these kinds of affections for a noah was bad news but her brain would not listen! No matter how hard she tried to tell herself that they were friends and nothing more, the stupid thoughts wouldn't cease.

Occasionally the two would bashfully meet the other's eyes before breaking the contact. Both unsure how to act around each other after their mental distractions from prior to the ball.

As the end of the song neared, Tyki whispered to Lenalee, "Forgive me for being such a terrible partner."

She looked back up at him and smiled, "You shouldn't be so down on yourself. This was nice."

When it did end Tyki escorted her back to Tricia. "Did you two have a good time together?" She asked.

Lenalee nodded with a simper, unsure if she should mention having forgotten the woman was there when she was talking with Tyki. "It was quite pleasant."

"I almost stepped on your feet twice," he said confused.

"That makes us even then," Lenalee responded, making him even more confused. As far as he could remember, Lenalee was perfect in her steps. "I look forward to dancing with you another time."

Bidding them farewell, Tyki left to find another place in the large hall.

Lenalee tugged her white kid gloves up higher and sat back down by the older woman. "Tell me, if you would not mind, do you know the language of the fan?"

"No," Lenalee said perplexed.

"That explains it," Tricia sighed. "When you were talking and set the tip of it on your mouth, you were telling him you didn't trust him."

After lamenting the misunderstanding she caused, Lenalee went with Tricia to make more small talk with other guests. They were just as difficult to talk to as earlier. With the night in full swing, some of the men unfortunate enough to drink themselves stupid tried to lecture her on religion after noticing the crest on her necklace.

It was a pain but all she could do was listen in silence.

Tricia helped steer clear of most trouble to which Lenalee was immensely grateful. The blonde knew all the proper etiquette tell people to get lost in the most respectful way possible. Lenalee was in awe by her. Thanks to that, the exorcist was able to let her shoulders rest a little more, not obligated to accept every offer to return to the dancefloor.

Just as the last dance approached, a few of the men she met that night returned to talk to Lenalee. All in the group were asking for the chance to have the last dance with her, not making it easy for her to speak as quarreled with one another.

"There you are, Lenalee," Tyki said approaching from behind. "Excuse me gentlemen, but I have already reserved her last dance." He flashed the other men a smile as he held his arm out to her.

Securing her arm, Tyki proceeded to walk the exorcist to the other dancers. While she looked back, Lenalee caught a glimpse of the group's shocked faces.

"Sorry," he said, immediately starting to dance as the music had commenced before they made it to the floor, "It looked like you might have needed help."

"Thank you and I'm sorry as well," she let her gaze fall to his tie, "Mrs. Kamelot told me I used the fan wrong."

Tyki breathed out in relief, "I was hoping that that was the case."

Looking back at his beaming face, Lenalee smiled too. "Next time I do that, I'll be sure to hold it upside down."

His eyes widened as his voice faltered for a moment, "You don't mean–?!"

"Is holding it that way rude?" Lenalee asked, unsure what his flustered response meant. "Mrs. Kamelot suggested it so I thought it would be fine..."

"No, I would not be against that as long as you meant it," he said before swallowing. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he looked away, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

No, Tyki would by no means be opposed to Lenalee saying "kiss me."

In fact, he had thought about kissing the exorcist a lot more than he thought was appropriate for friends. If he'd known how distracting the simple desire would be, he would have done it earlier.

Back when they were alone in the house or at the hotel. He had been so close. They were less than an arm's length apart. But Momo and Clark were right: he was too dense for his own good. He didn't even realize it until he was thinking of her every day.

Even so, he could handle being friends. Being by Lenalee's side was enough most of the time. He didn't want to be stuck with reminders of her every which way, they were starting to drive him crazy.

"You know," she said bringing him back, "I'm very glad to have seen you today."

"Is that right?" Tyki cheerily responded as they bowed. The music stopped: their cue that the party was now over and that any of the remaining guests were to soon leave.

"My life has been somewhat of a mess as of late," she said as he led her to the sidelines where no one stood. "I think this is what I needed."

"I wouldn't have guessed you like balls so much. They're kinda stuffy and you have to wear a corset. That's even worse," Tyki grimaced, adjusting his tie.

"No silly, I'm talking about you," Lenalee said putting her hands behind her. "I needed to see you. No one at the Order seems to get what I see in you. I just— it's easier to be by your side." Rubbing her hands together, she closed her eyes for a moment. It was worth it to get some of this off her chest. And Tyki was more than thrilled about hearing this straight from the one he'd been obsessing over for weeks.

Tyki's mouth twitched at the corners while he covered his mouth, "I feel the same. But is it alright if I ask you something?"

"Yes. Do you want to ask something besides that?" She said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Tyki huffed, "You know what I meant." Pressing his clothed knuckles to his mouth, Tyki got quieter, "Another time, do you maybe want to hang out? But, um... just you and I?"

"Just you and I?" she repeated, "I'd like that."

Tyki immediately perked up at the response, "Really?!" He stepped forward to hug the exorcist before pulling his arms back and pretending like he was stretching. Tyki then shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and bounced on his heels. "I mean that's good to hear. So... do you know if Sheril set this up?" He asked.

"I thought you were all in on it," she said. "Your sister seemed excited to meet me."

"Tricia? I guess she did but Sheril was trying to stop her from coming out here since her health isn't so good," Tyki wondered aloud. "If it wasn't him then who? The only people I've talked to about you were the guys and Road."

Lenalee laughed, "There you have it! Road set this up with her." He sighed, of course it was her.

They talked about how they had spent their time apart while the guests made their way out. He, Eeez, Momo, and Clark were together up until a few days before the package for her and Lavi arrived. Figuring Road would mess with her stuff before she sent it, Tyki chose to hold onto Lenalee's sweater and gloves.

Lenalee skipped over the more depressing parts and instead tried to focus on the broad activities. Lunch with Allen and the others, missions, more time to herself. She didn't spend more than a minute on it as she brushed off her time away as boring.

Hearing the fast click clack of heels, they turned to the stairs. It was none other than the noah of dreams. She excitedly ran down the steps and across to them, launching her body at the Chinese girl who barely had enough time to brace for impact.

"Augh, no fair! I wanted to hug Lenalee," Road whined after being caught by Tyki. He scowled, not too pleased by having the wind knocked out of him.

Lenalee giggled, "Hi Road, how are you?" She waved to one hell-bent on chewing out the one who set her down.

Stopping her scolding, she looked from Tyki to Lenalee, then again pointing. "She's fine with us being here. Lenalee is alright with being at a ball with noah," Road said slowly. Pulling her mouth closer to him, she whispered, "Who is this?"

"Relax, I'm still Lenalee. And hey if you kill me, who cares. It's not like they'll really miss me at the Order," Lenalee deadpanned.

Road opened her mouth wide and looked back at Tyki clearly offended, "What did you do, Tyki? Lenalee's got the morbs!"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's depression," Lenalee said impassively folding her arms in front of her.

"Same difference!" Road pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at Tyki.

Putting his hands up defensively, Tyki furrowed his brow. "Don't get mad at me. I didn't know about this."

"That's because you would worry too much," Lenalee explained before it broke into an argument, opening her fan in an ill attempt to put distance between them.

Able to see that they were too busy bickering, Lenalee quietly walked away. Spotting the familiar blonde updo, she made her way over to Tricia who was speaking with some servants.

"Miss Kamelot," she asked, "Is there anywhere I might rest before we eat?"

Turning from the maid, Tricia smiled. "Why certainly. Dinner will be in about an hour—" Slightly louder she called out, "Please stop fighting you two. Tyki come take Miss Lee to a guest room to rest— I will have a servant fetch you when the table is set."

Before leading the exorcist down one of the many hallways in the Kamelot residence, Tyki mocked and stuck his tongue out Road.

In the room, Lenalee went straight to the couch and rested her head on her palm, using the right armrest for support. As she flopped down Tyki gently shut the door, groaning loudly.

"That was so annoying," he fumed, "Road thought she could keep you all to herself before dinner." He grumbled on about the audacity of the other noah as shed his jacket and tie, aimlessly throwing them to his left.

Lenalee rolled her eyes at him. As if this wasn't the same as what Road wanted. She was about to mention it as he threw his gloves off and began undoing the buttons on his vest. "What are you doing?" Lenalee blurted out and looked away

"These layers make me way too hot," he said, "It's no big deal. You've already seen me naked and all."

"No, I haven't!" She said covering her reddening face. "Don't take anything else off, Tyki."

He paused in the removal of the black vest. Smirking at the flustered exorcist he spoke, "Fine, fine. But I'm taking my gloves off."

Lenalee huffed, "Nothing else besides that okay!"

Tossing them onto his other clothes, Tyki walked over to the unoccupied cushion. Her dress pushed to the side let him sit. "Red's a nice color on you," he observed after taking the time to look at the outfit.

Lowering her hands, Lenalee watched as he ran his hand along the scrunched up fabric of her dress. "The bodice lace is quite itchy," she said, "but thank you."

"Can I hold your hand?" Tyki asked as he lifted his eyes up to her.

Nodding, she held the one that rested on her lap out to him. "Here," said.

Interlacing the fingers of her right hand and his left, Tyki pulled her closer, one hand reaching out to her waist. He smiled with her up against him, whispering something she couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Lenalee asked, resting her head on his chest.

"Nothing," he said moving his thumbs against her in a soothing motion. "I just thought we could take a nap."

Putting her free hand on him, she agreed. She didn't want to go to dinner.

They sat there against each other just making small talk to pass the time, neither actually tired. Until there was the eventual knock on the door.

"Lenalee!" The energetic voice of Road chimed. "I came to get you for dinner."

As she opened the door, Tyki pushed himself up and let go of Lenalee.

She gasped, dramatically holding her hands over her heart as she stood in the doorway. "Tyki you slut!" Road yelled as if she had just walked in on a very different scene.

Lenalee couldn't tell for the life of her what triggered her to say that of all things.

Road pulled out a handkerchief as she pretended to cry, clearly faking it. "You said we should leave her alone and that I couldn't spend time with her, but here you are... Spending…" She 'cried' even harder at her next words almost choking on them, "quality time together!"

Running his hands down his face in exasperation Tyki groaned. "I swear: it's times like these when I can't stand you."

"Oh come on," she said raising an eyebrow and returning the dry cloth to her hidden pocket. "How do you expect me to have fun around here if I don't do this?"

"One Sheril is bad enough," Tyki said cringing before he stood to help Lenalee up. "Let's just get this over with."


	11. Chapter 11: Ball in Your Court

I'd like to thank Luo Hakuei for pointing out my grave error in the formatting of this chapter.  
Here it is, but no longer as a garbled mess:

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It's been two (2) months and I feel terrible. I've rewritten this chapter about three times and edited even more. I'm still not very happy with it but am posting it anyways so to at least move the plot along.

I'm going to be having finals again in about two weeks so I have no idea when I'll be updating next,,,,,  
(edit: I'm done with finals now and am actually halfway done with the next chapter)

* * *

Quickly, over her anger from not being able to spend more time with Lenalee, Road made up for it on their walk to dinner. The short girl spent the first part asking casual questions like if she's planning to grow her hair back out and what it's like at the order. The later half of the time Road got sidetracked by news of what Allen was up to in her absence.

It was kind of cute to watch. Road bashfully talking about Allen's minute actions– that Lenalee hadn't even picked up on– not to forget the sneaking smile that spread across her features. Before long, Road wound up in her own monologue about her favorite exorcist.

Leading them, Tyki was arguably a terrible choice. In the highly decorated halls, he took a wrong turn but whether it was a sheer lack of direction or something else Lenalee couldn't tell as he led the other two every which way until they finally arrived at the correct room.

Lenalee first noticed his error after having walked by the same vase three times.

At first, she thought it was a coincidence and that they looked similar. But then they walked into a dead end five turns later and had to find a new route.

They were almost half an hour late for the meal but they made it to the dining room. Finally.

Lenalee took a glance around the room before she caught the host standing from the end of the table. In the regal room, she spotted various hanging pots with fresh flowers and a large chandelier hanging over the fully set table.

"Miss Lee," the one with an uncanny resemblance to Tyki said, swiftly but elegantly moving to greet her, "I see my wonderful family has taken a liking to you." His mouth twitched at the corner as Road chose to lean on her for no observable reason.

"Yes. I have also taken an inordinate amount of pleasure to be in their company as well," Lenalee responded while making her way to the chair pulled out for her by the minister. "I must thank you for inviting me to join you this evening."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Lee. As you have most likely surmised, I am Minister Kamelot," He said pushing the chair in. While he did so, Tyki did the same for Road who sat next to her mother. "Forgive me for not acquainting myself with you upon your advent: I had an urgent obligation to my work that needed to be attended to."

Lenalee responded promptly with the formality that she could remember, "It was no trouble in the slightest Minister Kamelot. I had a blithe time with the festivities of the evening."

"How lovely to hear!" He chimed, "If you would like, 'Mr.' would suffice a—"

"Can we suffice to speak English?" Tyki cut off casually as he sat in his chair by Lenalee, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "I mean really, this is dinner, not some black tie event. I know her; Road knows her. It's pointless to be formal." Slouching, he leaned on the palm of his hand, elbow on the table while Sheril's eye gave another twitch.

Lenalee immediately shut her mouth and looked to the two across from her. Tricia gave her sad smile as if to say she was sorry for the unforeseen turn of events. Road, on the other hand, was on the edge of her seat with anticipation.

"That was uncalled for, my dear brother," the eldest said, a frown pulling at his smile, "And I was not going to mention it but since you brought it up: where might your tie and jacket be?"

Tyki rolled his eyes and exasperated, "Clearly, they're not on me. And don't give me that 'dear brother' crap."

"Tyki!" He almost shouted, making Lenalee jump.

This had to be the worst seat.

"This is no way to talk in the presence of a lady!"

"I didn't realize you thought of yourself that way," Tyki taunted. Sheril continued to reprimand his brother who didn't bat an eye even as Sheril balled his fists. Meanwhile, Lenalee silently wished that she could be anywhere but between the two of them.

She quietly sipped her water on occasion, pretending the argument was nothing important as she stared ahead. It escalated until they abruptly stopped when the soup came out.

Then there was a heavy blanket of silence that coated the room.

No one knew what to say and quickly averted anyone's eyes they mistakenly locked onto in fear that they might need to talk for the sake of politeness. Lenalee settled on eating while maintaining a small smile despite the tension after noticing that both Tricia and Sheril were doing so.

When their dishes were taken and their main meal brought out, the blonde woman smoothed out her dress and addressed the one across her. "Miss Lee, I could not help but notice during the ball: you and Tyki seemed extraordinarily close with one another. Might I ask when you met?"

"I met him in passing on a mission of mine last year," Lenalee explained, looking at Road for help.

Understanding the unspoken message, Road quickly elaborated to save the potential mismatch of stories later on. "Yeah, mom. I was there too. It was after Tyki and the Earl said they would take me on that boat ride, remember?" She said as plainly and clearly.

Lenalee's eyes widened at the mention of the Earl but said nothing.

"Road, what are y– Ow!" Tyki exclaimed, turning to Lenalee with evident disbelief. "Did you just pinch me?"

Tilting her head, Lenalee feigned innocence, "No, why ever would you think so?" As she turned forward she noticed a knowing smile creeping on the ministers lips as she carefully pulled her hand back to her side.

From his angle, he was easily able to see the exorcist discreetly prevent the one less in tune to the conversation from mentioning the incidents in Edo that they would all come to regret Tricia finding out.

Road's descriptions were broad but realistic enough to satisfy her mother's curiosity.

"Tell me, Miss Lee, how close are you to my brother?" Sheril inquired after finishing the bite he had in his mouth.

Tyki stopped eating and perked up as well.

"The two of us are close friends," she said nervously, "We haven't spent an immense amount of time together but his company is enjoyable."

"I could say the same," Tyki mumbled into his hand.

Sheril smiled as he cut the food on his plate, "What was that Tyki?" he cooed.

"Nothing," He brushed off as his eyes darted away from the exorcist and his brother to sweep the room. Road was still talking about the supposed trip they had taken and Lenalee continued to eat.

"Lenalee, do you want more water? Your glass is almost empty," Tyki asked as she brought it to her lips.

"If it is no trouble then, please," she said with a tinge of surprise.

Road stopped mid-sentence to look at the exorcist with confusion. "You haven't touched your wine."

Her mother and father observed the space in front of their guest. Besides the unneeded salad fork, her wineglass also sat untouched.

"She doesn't drink," Tyki said. He thought it was obvious. She never drank when it was an option with him and his friends so why would she now?

"Please excuse us for not being aware of that," Sheril said as he called a servant to refill her glass. The one with the red liquid subsequently being taken away.

The dinner carried on with little trouble after. Road chattered on about her school work to which Sheril happily gave his attention to while he ate. They didn't mind that Lenalee would rather not have any alcohol and avoided the subject entirely after her aversion to it.

Tricia, before finishing, had to excuse herself after her husband noticed how pale she was from when they first sat at the table.

On occasion, Sheril would draw his attention to Lenalee but otherwise left her and his brother to talk while Sheril spoke with Road. They didn't mind and Tyki preferred it that way.

Their conversation wasn't very in depth. The weather, hobbies, other frivolous things that didn't matter. Even so, they didn't care and grinned at each other all the while.

So absorbed in their chatting, Lenalee hadn't noticed Tyki put his hand on hers. After noticing this, Road "ooed" as the pair pulled their hands away.

Tyki apologized and stood, tripping on the leg of his chair as excused himself. It made a loud screeching noise as it was pushed out and fell on its side. Nearly falling, he covered his face and left as fast as he could.

Stunned, Road looked at the ajar door with Lenalee and her father. "I think... I'll go check up on him. Is that alright, daddy?" She said cautiously standing up. Not even bothering for an indication that it was all right, Road followed after her uncle.

Sheril turned to Lenalee who continued to look at the door, "I do apologize. For what happened earlier and this. I must say I'm used to him acting out with me but I have never seen him do something like this. It's not normal for him to act like this with guests around."

"Please, don't apologize to me. There's no need!" She turned to face the minister. "I think he just needed to get some fresh air… Plus, while I in no way intend for this to sound rude: I'm used to Tyki spur of the moment behavior," Lenalee confessed.

Sheril knit his brow and looked at her like she couldn't be serious.

"It's getting late. I should go." Lenalee stood and curtsied to the minister.

Thanking him for his hospitality, she calmly pushed her chair in and made her way out. Sheril stopped her as she reached out for the handle, "It wouldn't be wise to tell the order about my family. We could kill them faster than you could warn them."

"No need to warn me, Mr. Kamelot," Lenalee said holding the knob in a death grip, her voice barely even, "I rather like it here. And I'll have you know I'm smart enough to not cause my friends unnecessary injury."

"I would hope so," he threatened.

With that, the exorcist walked out and closed the door behind her and sank to the floor. It would have been appreciated if Tyki had thought to mention Sheril was a noah too. Or at the very least that he could make her stop, dead in her tracks.

She sat for a few moments just breathing with her eyes closed.

After standing up, she looked around and retraced her steps to the guest room. That made the exit much easier to find.

The halls and ballroom were empty. On her way out, there wasn't a single person she even caught a glimpse of.

Outside, the air sent a chill up her skin. It reminded her that she should really more conscious about remembering her belongings when in new places as she tried to warm her hands with her breath. This wasn't a habit she wanted to continue. First her sweater, now her gloves and fan.

Although it was annoying, she stood tall as her heels clicked down the stone steps.

Lenalee heard a window open from the residence that drew her attention.

Road was sitting by the curtains of a dimly lit room. "Have a good night Lenalee. It was nice having you over," the noah called out, "You better treat Tyki well!"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything other than that," Lenalee responded. As she waved goodbye, Road held up her finger asking for Lenalee to wait.

"Hold on: If you catch a cold Tyki will kill me, " Road laughed throwing a small blanket down, "And don't be afraid to put in a good word for me to Allen~!"

Lenalee smiled as she wrapped her shoulders in the fuzzy cloth. Walking back down the steps, she gave a final wave as she finally left the noah's home and headed back to the Order.

There was no trouble at the gate when she told them who she was and none when she walked the streets.

After arriving at the gate and giving the clergyman her code, she entered the ark and decided to wander around.

She wasn't expected home at any specific time.

Lenalee walked by the different doors that littered the white streets and before she knew it was at the spot where they had fallen; the first time she had boarded the ark. She looked at the door, now brown and just like the others instead of the odd rainbow pattern. A paper was on it to show where Allen had connected it.

She turned her head to see the tower that was in the corner of her vision. It was just as grand and tall as she had remembered it being.

Every mission, she found it drawing her attention. And even though she knew it was a bad idea, Lenalee found her feet taking her there.

It wasn't like anyone was there to stop her.

As Lenalee approached the structure, it looked bigger than she remembered. Granted the last time she was in it, it was falling apart.

Instead of wasting time searching for the staircase, she pulled up the hem of her skirt and activated her innocence. Easily, she landed inside the dining hall that really should have cemented her hate for a certain noah, yet somehow didn't.

Lenalee scanned the area before carefully walking up to the table and chairs. She sat on the edge of the ridiculously long furniture piece, turning her head to the end where Tyki had sat. It was weird how the chairs were placed now that she looked at it.

So much space was between his chair and theirs. Did he know Allen was going to sprint across? Even so, it still didn't need to be that long.

She pushed off from where she was on the table and walked over to where she and the others had sat. They were the same wooden seats with red cushions that she remembered. Her chair even had the hole that Allen's innocence made still in it.

Making sure one was around for what seemed like the tenth time, Lenalee removed her shoes and walked to the far end seat. As she began pulling it out, the noise made from the friction made her wince and halt.

Taking a step back, Lenalee put her hands on the armrest and climbed in. She felt she needed to try and change perspectives.

Lenalee rubbed her face as her elbows dug into the table. "This should be scary right?"

But she was happy that she knew. When she held hands with Tyki made her heart flutter. And his smiles made her feel like her heart stop.

She had forgotten the whole point of her so called mission once she started talking to him, not that it mattered. Minister Kamelot already knew all about the Order and how could he not. He was part of the noah clan.

With that, she knew the only reasonable solution would be to tell the church the Kamelot's were noah. It didn't feel right, turning them in.

Even with their friendship, as great as it was, she couldn't help but want to ruin it. Not exposing his family, but to tell Tyki that she hated him. If only so that she knew how they were supposed to act with each other. Or that she liked him and break her own heart when she watched him reject her.

It was selfish but Lenalee didn't care.

She thought there wasn't a chance he would want someone like her. At the ball, there were so many beautiful girls. He had to at least like one of them.

They were noble and elegant when all she did was mess things up by not knowing secret fan signs.

At the branch, the sudden change in lighting made her eyes hurt. Unable to see in the dark, Lenalee narrowed her eyes until they finished adjusting.

To no surprise, there was no one waiting for her. The clock hanging on the wall read two forty-seven. That shouldn't have come as a disappointment but she at least thought Komui would wait for her.

They hadn't spoken since he had given her the invitation and he didn't have a break from work: It would have been pointless for him to have waited up for her.

On the way to her room, a few finders said hello or goodnight. No one stopped her to talk or ask how her mission went.

Everyone knew about it. Krory and Kanda had made a big deal about it to Link and Lvellie when they crossed paths and all the scientists knew about the dress Johnny made. That didn't make it hard for the information to spread.

No one cared.

The next day, Lenalee woke exhausted. Her remaining makeup was smeared and her bones ached.

She got out of bed and groaned. The corset was the only part of the outfit that she was unable to remove before sleeping and she could tell that there was going to be bruising.

"Lenalee, are you awake? I heard you got back late last night," the unmistakeable voice of Emilia poured in with the light of the window.

"Yes," Lenalee said with a dry throat, "Come on in." She rubbed her throat and side as the blonde girl opened the unlocked door with a curious smile and raised a brow.

Her smile immediately faded when she saw what Lenalee was wearing. "Were you in this all night? Don't answer, just let me help." She spoke with little room for a breath and quickly moved to undo the strings on Lenalee's back.

The dark haired teen sighed as the constricting fabric loosened and dropped, "Thanks, I hadn't wanted to wake you up."

"Oh, please! You can wake me up anytime," She replied as she got up and opened the top drawer of the exorcist's dresser. "There's so much space in here! Take these and get dressed," Emilia said tossing Lenalee a change of clothes without looking at what she was choosing. She went through each one and quickly grabbed the first thing she touched that looked as if would match.

That left Lenalee to wear her usual undergarments, a skirt, knee-high socks, and a long sleeve button up. The tutor, satisfied with her spur of the moment fashion choices, left after making Lenalee promise to meet her for breakfast in ten minutes.

After wiping off all the makeup residue that she missed in her tired state and a glass of water later did Lenalee find the judging eyes of the Black Order on her.

It was comical in a way, she had forgotten that she was practically a shut-in. Emilia and Allen had even come to her room to teach her.

"Lenalee," she heard Reever's shocked voice in the crowd before seeing him stand. "How have you been?"

"I've been… I'm fine," She smiled half-heartedly.

"Do you want to eat over here? Russell said he would be coming over soon."

Shaking her head Lenalee apologized, "I promised Emilia I would."

At Jerry's window said person was deep in thought. Her arms were crossed and eyes narrowed. "What do you think?" She asked as Lenalee approached, "Strawberries or blueberries? I want to get both— oh but also a chocolate one. The problem is I can't eat that much."

"Okay then," Lenalee said flatly, "How about we split them?"

"This is why I knew I wanted to be friends with you Lenalee," Emilia said jokingly before ordering.

Three crepes later, the two had finished their breakfast with only a few potential food-related wardrobe accidents.

Uncovering her still grinning mouth, Emilia had a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Tell me Lenalee, how did it go with the Minister and his mystery relative?"

Lenalee grimaced, "Awful: I think he hates me."

"It can be that bad," Emilia reassured. "Which one do you think hates you?"

"The minister: I thought he might like me but the more I talked to his brother and daughter, the more I felt like I felt like he was ready to kill me." Shivers ran down her back as she recalled being frozen in the doorway.

"Tell me what his family is like then. Is his brother cute?" Lenalee could tell from the way Emilia spoke, voice lined with excitement that the second question was more important.

"They seem nice. His brother acts cuter than he looks though."

"Go on!" Emilia encouraged while scooting closer.

She smiled and tried to explain, "Well he's attractive but he doesn't seem to get it himself I think. Kind of like he's trying too hard to be nice when he already is."

Emilia pursed her lips, "I don't understand."

"So before dinner, we were talking together in one of the guest rooms–"

Thumping Lenalee's arm Emilia smirked, "Miss Lee, how scandalous!" Her voice was light and joking.

Blushing, Lenalee finished her anecdote, "No, so we were just talking. Then his niece came to get us for dinner and he insisted on showing us the way even though he wound up getting us all lost."

"You have a crush!" Emilia gasped. She was loud enough that many of the people dining around them turned to look at the pair of girls.

Many looked surprised. Lenalee was never known to have shown a special interest in anyone. Komui would have certainly hunted them down.

Still blushing, Lenalee put her hands up to cover her face. "There's no proof!"

"You are not saying that you don't like him!" Emilia triumphed. "Was it a strike of lightning— love at first sight?"

"Oh god no," Lenalee said with repulsion, recalling the first time she saw Tyki in Timcanpy's recording. "More like third time's the charm… or fourth… fifth? I'm honestly not sure how it happened."

"Does he like you too?" Emilia asked louder than the exorcist wanted the conversation to get. The Order already had enough gossip to go around.

Lenalee's eyes widened, "No! I am only a friend. And I don't think you understand, but I cannot like him."

"Fine. I don't believe it but fine. Do you know if you will see him again?"

"He asked to hang out though I don't know when," Lenalee divulged under her breath.

Mouth opening widely, Emilia shook her head incredulously. "Hang out where?"

"Don't expect me to know. He only said he wanted it to be the two of us–"

"That's a date!" Emilia shouted before continuing in a whisper, "I doubt you would have been invited to a party and dinner only to be asked out as a friend."

Leaning in closer Lenalee made sure no one else could hear her, "He didn't invite me, his niece and sister-in-law did."

"It's a date."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Would you shut up!" Kanda's voice boomed from the next table over. As he whipped around, the concentrated rage on his face turned to shock. "Lenalee. I heard her say Lee but that can't be you?"

"Yeah, it's uhh… been a while," she trailed, avoiding his eyes.

He cleared his throat and looked at Emilia who sheepishly nodded her head. "Your hair is longer and… curly."

"Emilia did the curls but they haven't come out yet," She explained.

Narrowing his eyes, Kanda glared at the people near them who were quietly listening in. "I thought you would have stayed in your room after getting back."

"I would have, but I think I still have to fill out a report," she deadpanned. "I didn't bother asking last before since I arrived here around three."

When she arrived at her brother's office, ready to face him and tell him how she failed to even remember to talk to the minister about the Black Order, Lenalee froze.

On the couch, the unmistakable figure of Leverrier sat across from her brother's desk. Komui was solemn with a grim line for a mouth as his eyes traveled to Lenalee. He closed his eyes and grimaced as Leverrier turned to the exorcist.

"Good morning. I hope you had a pleasant evening," the dreadful man said, his eyes wrinkling as he curled the corners of his lips. "I received a call from the Kamelot's this morning."


	12. Chapter 12: By the Seat of One's Pants

Hello hello! I haven't been on in so long but ironically searching for Naruto fanfics brought me back... I added this chapter to Ao3 sometime in December I believe. (Not quite sure to tell you the truth) Anyways, I'm adding this and the next chapter today.

I didn't realize anyone was reading it on here until I saw that there was a new review so thank you very much Lady Serai!

* * *

As Leverrier patted the open cushion by his side Lenalee shook her head and balled her fists. Her eyes were focused on the corner of a paper sticking from a pile on Komui's desk. Her mouth was too tightly shut to form a verbal response.

Bridgette looked up from her clipboard to Lenalee with concern, "We were unsure if you had returned from your mission until a few of the scientists reported seeing you at the dining hall."

Lenalee nodded and barely opened her mouth enough to whisper, "I got back at two forty-something."

"You look shaken," Bridgette said, "Do you feel well?"

"I'm fine," Lenalee responded, throwing a brief glance to the brown haired woman and her brother.

Komui looked to his assistant with perturb. Brigette nodded and grabbed her chair to set near his desk for Lenalee. Bridgette then choose to stand near the exorcist and lightly patted her shoulder before observing silently.

Leverrier cleared his throat and smiled at the exorcist. "As I was saying, the minister called earlier this morning." Lenalee gulped and took a deep breath. "You seemed to have left quite an impression on him during your stay."

"I didn't mean for it to be such a disaster," she breathed, closing her eyes.

"Disaster?" Leverrier said folding his hands on his lap as she dug her nails into the corner of her seat. "Quite the contrary, he's asked to donate to our cause. Because of this success, the higher ups have decided to lessen your normal mission load."

Lenalee scrunched her face in thought. "That doesn't make sense, if it helped the order get support why would I be given time off?" All the Order did in the past for missions done well was assign more.

"The Black Order thought it would be best if you continued to keep in contact with the Kamelot's," Komui said watching carefully for his sister's reaction to the news. "If you don't want to then you'll go back to your normal missions."

"It is highly encouraged that you accept time off when it's made available," Leverrier interjected, "That way you won't have to report any... _sensitive_ matters that may or may not have occurred like of previous missions they can be… _overlooked_."

The tone of his voice, made her snap her head up to look at him. It not so subtly alluded to more inappropriate matters than she'd like to discuss with anyone. Disbelief was clear in her wide eyes. As she looked to the faces of the others in the room she was shocked. Komui guiltily looked away as did Brigette.

"You can't be serious. What have I done?" Lenalee asked incredulously.

"Your and Lavi's reports,"Leverrier said, "you put the minimum information in and so all we had to understand what had happened that night was your word and his report."

As Bridgette moved to comfort Lenalee, her hand was pushed aside. The exorcist stood and nearly ripped the door off it's hinges.

With muscles tense and jaw clenched, she nearly ran down the halls of the Order in her long strides.

In the archives room, dry and dark as it was, Lenalee frantically searched through the boxes. Reading the names and dates as fast as Lenalee could, she pushed aside boxes and nearly tore documents with how fast she was working through them. Eventually, she found the sheets she was looking for and sunk to her knees as she scanned the contents.

Surrounded by the files, the seventeen year old reread the papers over and over. As she sat there the room felt cold. Her hands shook but she felt numb. She couldn't believe what was written.

Slowly, Lenalee walked through the halls. She read the report so many times the words didn't look real.

As she walked, Lenalee barely noticed when she bumped shoulders with someone else.

"Lenalee, what happened?" Kanda said grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "You look like hell froze over."

Her gaze stuck to the floor as she faced him. "Where's Lavi?" Lenalee muttered.

Kanda narrowed his eyes, "He was just in the training hall." Immediately she turned to find the redhead. "Hold it," he said grabbing her arm again and swinging her towards him. "You sure you wanna talk with him?"

"No, but I have to." Lenalee grimaced. Her eyes were taken with gloom, downcast and furious.

Lavi panted as he leaned on his practice sword. Allen and his practice weapon were sprawled on the ground. They had been sparing to pass the time after not being assigned missions. Krory sat on the sidelines with Link trying to cool down.

No one paid much attention to Lenalee as she approached. Her steps sounded the same as any of the finders or other people who stopped to watch. The loud pattern of her heels had been absent from their lives long enough to not listen for them.

Lenalee stopped a few steps away and took a deep breath. "Lavi," she said loudly and clearly.

His eye widened and he turned to look at her. "Lena, how're you– You look like something is wrong," Lavi smile faltered as his brow creased.

"What is this?" Lenalee said holding the files in front of her with both shaky hands. Creases formed from the pressure her hands provided.

"I don't know," Lavi said confused. He straightened his back and stretched to face her properly. "That could be anything." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Lavi tossed aside his sword.

"It's your mission report," Lenalee distressed. "How could you?" She trembled as pain contorted her features.

As Lavi tried to come to Lenalee, she retracted, shaking her head. "No, I trusted you and you wrote... _this!"_ Lenalee rubbed the back of her neck. "Why?" She whispered.

"Why what, Lena?" Lavi asked, tilting his head with concern. "You've been making no sense these days."

"Don't you dare call me ' _Lena.'_ " She said raising her voice. "My friends can call me that and they wouldn't write this!" Lenalee said smacking the folder before pushing it into his hands.

"Lenalee…" Lavi said, "Calm down!"

"How can I calm down when Central is accusing me of having slept with a noah?!" She shouted. Lenalee balled her fists, digging her nails into the skin of her palms

He creased his brow and looked down at the papers, slowly opening it. "I didn't mean…"

She grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed her head. "You of all people know how many people read the mission reports. How could you?" Lenalee seethed with anger. "I wasn't— It never happened."

"But I had thought," Lavi reaffirmed.

"How many times to I have to tell you: he didn't do _anything_ to me?!"

Lavi stepped forward to comfort Lenalee. Hug her, pat her shoulder, anything. Lavi wanted to soothe the mistaken sadness that he saw in her trembling frame. Wipe aways tears that he thought were there.

Her reaction time was quicker. By the time his had moved halfway between them, her hand swept across his face in a slap. Lenalee's shoulders shook and her breath hitched as she pulled her hand back.

His eye widened as he saw her face be tainted with regret. About to reach out again, Link and Krory rushed to stop him. "I think it would be wise if you didn't try and touch her," Link advised, holding the bookman's shoulder. "For her sake and yours."

"Would you allow Allen to walk with Lenalee," Krory asked as pulled Lavi's wirst back. "I'd like to hear more about what Lavi saw happen on this mission."

"Fine. Don't be gone long, Walker," Link dismissed Allen easier than expected. His only priority for the moment was to keep a fight from breaking out and Allen had already activated his innocence.

While Allen deactivated and led her out, Lavi called out in apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen."

Voice cracking she yelled back, "It's too late. You've already ruined my life!"

They walked down the halls in near silence. Her steps were fast and violent, making Allen wince as they collided with the stone and tiles.

At Lenalee's room she walked in and grabbed hold of her door knob and screamed. Slamming it closed repeatedly she lost all her remaining composure. After she settled down with her hair disheveled and breaths shallow, she realized Allen was still standing there.

Allen waited with Timcanpy in his arms.

Lenalee smoothed her hair and wanted to erase all of the last few minutes from Allen's memories. "Please, come in if you want to." She said exasperated, graciously gesturing with her left hand while the other still gripped the door knob.

"I don't want to keep you long," he said with a wavering smiling, "Link might be mad."

Lenalee sighed, "If you want to hear about the mission, I would rather no one hear what I have to say but you."

He nodded and walked in. The smile fell from his face when he heard the door shut, his hands reaching to rub his face and his golem left to nest in her covers. "What happened between you and Tyki?" He breathed deeply, heaving his chest.

She reached up and brushed the hair out of her face. "This is going to sound crazy, but Tyki and I are, well... friends." Lenalee leaned against her door and examined the newly formed cracks in the doorframe.

Allen closed his eyes and exhaled, it wasn't as crazy as he expected it to be. It still shocked him. Lenalee used to be adamantly against the Noah Clan for all they had done. Before he could voice his concerns in befriending a one, Lenalee added on to her statement.

"I also... might be in love with him?" Embarrassed she scratched her cheek and set her mouth in a hard line, trying to keep a smile from tugging at the corners. Focusing on her now lopsided handle, it didn't look like she could lock her door any longer.

Allen merely took another breath and slowly exhaled, "Lenalee _... this is so bad._ " He brought his hands down and bit his lip. He looked at her with understanding and frustration. Frustration at himself for not seeing this sooner.

"I mean have you seen the way he–"

"Yes, Tyki's hot but I don't think you should just be interested in the way he holds his cards or moves his hips," Allen offered.

Narrowing her eyes and nodding Lenalee finished her thought, "Yeah… I was about to say he's a huge dork who treats his friends like they're his world but that works too. Sort of?" She pursed her lips and looked around.

"Please ignore what I just said," Allen said pinching the bridge of his nose. "How long have you two been seeing each other."

"We haven't been, so there isn't any need for you to worry about my safety." Lenalee crossed her arms and looked out the window. A melancholy look was on her face. "Besides, I think he likes someone else."

"I'm your friend so I'm going to make sure you are safe, Lena, especially when you have a thing for someone on the other side of this war. Now, who does he like?"

"I'm not sure but called me Linda when he was drunk," she sighed and covered her face. "God, why did I have to be so stupid and let my emotions get this much in control?"

Allen rolled his eyes, "He's the idiot not you."

"He _is_ an idiot but why point that out now?" Lenalee asked, looking at Allen, more than a little confused.

"Anyone that can't see how great you are doesn't deserve you," Allen smiled. "Besides Tyki's so dense that her probably doesn't even…" His eyes widened in realization seconds before encouraging Lenalee to do something foolish, like confess to him. "Nevermind, don't listen to me. I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

He didn't want Lenalee to have to deal with central more than now. If things got worse, she could have a Link of her own. By the sound of things, that option wasn't very far off.

In the cafeteria, they found it ominously quiet. No murmurs or conversations. It wasn't a surprise, Leverrier and Link were standing with Komui, Bridgette and Lavi near the entrance. They all held sour expressions.

Link spoke politely as the pair approached, "I thought you would stop by here you as soon as you finished escorting Miss Lee," Lenalee glanced to the blond's superior for a split second. He only offered a none too pleasant smile in response.

She spoke flatly, "I wasn't feeling well so I asked him to wait with me until it went away."

"Have you decided, Lenalee?" Bridgette asked, a tiny, sorrowful smile adorning her face.

"Yes, I'll take the extra time but that doesn't mean that I admit to anything happening," she glared feeling her vexation begin to rise.

When she spoke Lavi looked away and pressed his hand to his mouth. He knew by the dagger her eyes threw at him that all the damages were done. Any relationship they could have would have to be built from scratch.

Per Leverrier's suggestion, they had lunch together. It was quiet and uncomfortable.

Lavi, the bright red handprint clear on his face, voluntarily sat by Leverrier. Link sat next to his supervisor, hardly eating while Allen's plates towered next to him. Lenalee sat across from the white haired boy and next to the her brother while Bridgette next to him.

The one thing they could all talk about and was on all their minds was also the one no one dared bring up: Lenalee.

Any small talk got them nowhere and the atmosphere grew more tense. Bridgette and Leverrier were the only ones who looked completely unfazed.

The next day Lenalee did what was proper etiquette and called the Kamelot's to thank them for the nice time. There she spent an hour talking with Tricia in the science section, neither of them having anything better to do.

They wound up talking so much in following days that Lenalee was asked to go somewhere else that was less distracting. She ended up just purchasing her own phone and having less of a reason to leave her room once again.

She and Jerry resumed baking and pretended nothing had changed. However, like most parts of her life, the shift was already made and it was harder to laugh or talk like they used to. Mostly they spent their baking in silence.

Her solace at the Order was in isolation. There wasn't anyone to look down on her or try and control her there.

After figuring out a day to take off, Lenalee revisited the Kamelot's. All she did was drop off a pie and leave since Tricia was bedridden most days. The other household members were gone elsewhere like when they spoke over the telephone.

Each time she came after, Lenalee would either give her confection to a maid and leave or be given permission to enter based on their lady's health. More often than not the two were unable to speak. It seemed lonely.

For a month, Lenalee came by periodically. She had one mission during the time as well. But that was record low considering how much she was used to being put one mission after mission without a single break.

At the beginning of the the next month, she was confused when the door opened to her. Inside stood a man only a few years older than her she guessed. His hair and hard to read expression reminded her of Bridgette. His dress, the way Tyki was when with friends, confused her the most. It was scruffy and completely against what anyone in high society should wear, even if they were just an employee.

If he was one of Tyki's friends, why was he here? Wouldn't Sheril go ballistic? Tear apart the wallpaper and burn down anything that was made "dirty" by them.

As soon as she imagined the hypothetical situation of the minister screaming and frantically bringing out all the disinfectants he could, the boy laughed.

"Good one. My name's Wisely." he said smiling, "Come on in. You might not be too bad for an exorcist."

"Ah," Lenalee said offhandedly, "So you're a noah too? My name is Lenalee, pleased to meet you." She offered to shake his hand with a smile, momentarily distracted from his odd behavior. Wisely didn't accept the offer and instead looked like he was trying to decipher a complicated word problem where the answer he came up with didn't seem like it was right no matter how much he looked over the question.

"Tyki!" He yelled, "Your girlfriend is here!"

Her face lit up with a light blush. As untrue as the exclamation was, she liked the way it sounded.

Wisely rubbed his temple.

Moments later, the aforementioned man could be heard barreling through a door she couldn't see. He was in the process of trying to a remove a partially unbuttoned shirt over his head. "Lenalee isn't my girlfriend! Stop saying that just to get me places faster," Tyki huffed as he finally got it off and reached the door.

"Yeah, but it works." Wisely grinned at Tyki.

As Tyki looked down, Lenalee waved timidly and he blinked repeatedly, "Oh." Quickly, he put the t-shirt in his arm on and hurried to shoo his nephew away. There was no hesitation for Tyki to push Wisely out of sight.

"It's been too long," He said grabbing her free hand and smiling warmly as he recognised the distinctive box of sweets in her other arm. "I've missed your cooking almost as much as I've missed you."

"Thanks," Lenalee giggled, "Your shirt's on backwards, Tyki."

He laughed but ignored it as he was more interested in finding out how her day was. She happily obliged, glad to see her favorite noah.

Wisely jokingly gagged to get their attention. Neither paid the younger noah any mind. Even as he took the box of sweets from her, the two continued to talk. "Ahem!" Wisely exclaimed before clearing his throat. "If you don't mind Tyki, can we get going now?"

Tyki pinched his nose and huffed. "Right, trains might stop running if we spend too long chatting." Looking to Lenalee he elaborated, "We were gonna see Eeez and the guys. Wisely sort of hangs with us now."

"Really?" Lenalee said perking up at the mention of the boy's name. "Do you think three would be a crowd?"

As she smiled at him Tyki just narrowed his eyes and looked to Wisely. He could be wrong but Tyki could have sworn that Eeez, Momo, Clark, Wisely, and himself added up to five.

Wisely was baffed at the man's inability to form a connection from the hopeful look on her face and wording that she wanted to join them. Does it really take a mind reader to figure out what someone wants?

"Come on," He said smacking Tyki's arm, "Grab her sweater from your room and let's _go._ " Tyki's eyes widened and she nodded excitedly.

Lenalee eagerly waited while he left for her things on the steps with the brown haired boy. Getting back didn't take nearly as long as she thought it would take Tyki. In fact, as soon as he knew he was out of her sight, Tyki sprinted to his room and snatched it from where he had left it atop of his bed and ran back.

He tried to be casual and slip next to her, maybe strike up another conversation. That proved difficult as Wisely smacked him upside the head as soon as he left the door. "Flirting can wait," Wisely said with annoyance, "Right now, we have to leave before dear old dad has a chance to stop us, remember?"

Nodding, they all headed off the property and to the nearest train station.

Tyki fell asleep almost as soon as they boarded the cart. Lenalee smiled when they started moving since he was jostled into leaning on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Wisely watched quietly as she played with the buttons of her jacket and the cuffs of his shirt.

Finally he decided to speak up. "I understand why you want to never tell Tyki that you love him," Wisely said, "but telling everyone but him is just plain selfish." He readjusted in his seat across from them so his arms were folded and a look a displeasure faced her.

"I don't–" She said quietly.

"I can read minds you idiot," Wisely venomously cut off. "And don't think you can fool anyone, you are an open book." He wasn't concerned by the look of shock that ghosted across her face for a moment.

"I know I'm not subtle, but if I tell him…" Lenalee trailed off as she looked up from Tyki to the shaking scenery in the window.

Wisely couldn't believe he had to deal with the love issues of other noah. Road pestered him enough to meet Allen and find out how he felt. Now this? He groaned and sunk into his seat. "You won't stop being friends unless you tell him that you don't want to be his friend, it's as simple as that," he grumbled at the fact he practically had to spell out that Tyki was into her.

She merely nodded and focused on other things until they arrived. Lenalee tried to imagine how the three would react to her coming back. She hoped they would be happy.

And they were, all of them came up to hug her and ask how she had been doing after she had to leave so suddenly. Tyki and Wisely even joined in on the outside of the circle. Many of the other people going to and fro hurried away from the scene quickly.

The hug circle lasted shorter than any of them would have liked, but it was for the best. Lenalee was being hugged tight enough that she was starting to lose her breath and the station attendants had to inform them that they were blocking the other passengers from stepping off.

They ate together and laughed before heading to where they would spend the night. Everyone was in high spirits, making jokes and laughing.

Their temporary abode was similar to the house where she first met them. It was an abandoned inn on the outskirts of town. Vegetation was beginning to overtake it and other deserted buildings were in various states of decay around it.

They stayed up late with cards before heading to bed one at a time.

Wisely headed off to sleep first after getting a headache while Eeez and Lenalee followed suit not even ten minutes later. Hours passed by the other three before they decided that it might be better to rest.

The next morning Lenalee awoke surprised that the last day wasn't more than a nice dream. Having not gotten up earlier, she was disappointed to see that it was only going to be her that day.

She made the most of it, rather she tried to keep boredom at bay. She started by cleaning the house and figuring out just how much she brought with her.

She didn't wear her uniform. The only clothes with her were a plain jacket, her normal casual wear, and her sweater.

The only other thing she had on her were some hair ties and money, granted there was hardly any of either.

She sighed.

Without Black Order identification of some sort, it would be impossible to buy more than a few meals. Even so, she went to the market to buy ingredients.

For dinner they had pasta and discussed how long they would be staying when Lenalee brought it up. Momo figured they would stay for a month or less.

The next day Lenalee made sure to wake up early. After she waved them all goodbye for the morning she set off to look for a job. It seemed silly to her that she would stay with them for any period of time as just a guest, so she took the first available position that was hiring.

She was an assistant shopkeeper.

The work was as fun as it was boring. She restocked shelves and checked inventory but only watched the counter when either of the owners were away. That never seemed likely.

The owners were a kind, middle aged, couple. Neither said much but were only in need of an assistant since their daughter married. He would sit behind the counter and read his paper that Lenalee couldn't understand. She still tried to despite the language barrier. The woman had a little more variety with what she did: mending or embroidery. Lenalee made her own betting game over which one would be done that day.

Occasionally, they let Lenalee take the some goods home in addition to that day's pay. It was their way of telling her she was doing a good job.

No one at home questioned her behavior since she always returned before them, even if she had to run. However, Wisely did throw her a few pointed looks when she made jokes about meals being no trouble.

After weeks of Lenalee working in the day and coming back to have fun with her friends, he was finally fed up with how weird she was acting for an exorcist.

Wisely leaned against the counter Lenalee was using to chop vegetables on. "Hey princess cut, when are you going back to the Order?" He asked with a smile.

"If you're referring to my new bangs, let me remind you: I have a name and I am holding a knife," she spoke in the same sing-song voice that the noah used. "I'm going back kicking." She didn't miss when she got closer to Wisely that he backed away fractionally.

"Shut up!" Wisely retorted a little embarrassed that he thought for a second that she would use the blade on him.

He watched her in silence as she scrapped the food from the wooden board into a large pot. When she lit the fire for the stove he briefly caught a glimpse of blond hair peeking out of the doorway to the kitchen. As Lenalee hoisted the nearly full container, Wisely noted that she felt a twinge of resentment towards him for not even offering to assist her.

It didn't bother him in the slightest.

As she grabbed some spices to add while it cooked, Lenalee spoke softly. "There isn't really a point in me going back. At least… not any more." She barely knew anyone there it seemed. Allen was about the only one who understood how ridiculous it was for her to care about a noah. And they hardly got to see each other with missions and him being under constant supervision. Koumi still cared for her, so did many other people there, but the _way they cared_ didn't feel right any longer.

She missed them, no doubt about it. But returning at this point would strip her of all freedoms. She would be like Allen and her brother.

Laughing, Lenalee wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm sure you know what's wrong Wisely," She said digging her nails into the counter and spoke just above a whisper, "I've been gone longer than usual. Normally, it was a day every other week, but nearly a month… I'm probably a traitor." I could be killed, she thought numbly.


	13. Chapter 13: Sunny Smile

Here's the second of the two newest chapters (although they're not that new...) This is the one that bumped up the rating and is also a what I had originally planned as being chapters 13 and 14 but I combined them so now I actually have to write more after I reread this and the chapter 14 wip to figure out where the heck I was going with their relationship ;w;

Thank you for being patient with my poor neglectful ways, my dear readers

* * *

Lenalee awoke with an unexpected knock on her door. The sun wasn't even close to rising. "Who is it?" she asked just loud enough for them to hear her.

"Tyki," he said opening the door. The look on his face was difficult to place, a firm line and no indication of there being a hidden smile. "I need to know what you think of us," He said flatly. She was used to how direct he was from all the time they spent together but his demeanor made her uneasy.

As she removed her covers and stood, his eyes were fixed on her's. "You're my friends of course," she smiled, "is that why you have been acting all weird the last few days?" Tyki grimaced at her words but didn't speak. "We have work tomorrow, get some rest. We can talk when you get back."

"I just… What if you aren't here?" He said leaning against the door. As it clicked shut, he flinched but didn't move away.

She laughed nervously to ease the tension that spread through the room, "Why wouldn't I be here?" Lenalee grabbed his hand and lightly tried to tug him towards her bed before sitting down herself.

He didn't follow as she watched him expectantly. "What?" She questioned as he knit his brow and finally looked away. His eyes scanned the room, glossing over her things in the corner. Perplexion crossed his face before he sighed and removed his glasses. "I know we are your friends but… Eeez said he heard you saying you were going back _there_ earlier this week _."_

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused by his train of thought. "Where am I going?"

He looked hurt when he looked at her again. "You're leaving, right?"

Lenalee tugged on his arm until he took a seat beside her. "I'm leaving…?" She said with confusion. Bowing her head she tried to think of what made them think that. Was it the way she would leave them so fast before or was she acting strange?

Immediately standing, he headed for the door. "Nevermind," he snapped, getting louder. "If you want to leave then go. It doesn't matter whether you're here or not!"

After ripping the door open, he slammed it shut behind him. His room was only a few doors across the hall but she could hear him enter it like it was right next to hers. There he went in before he hit the wall and breathed deeply to calm down. He wanted to yelled and release his anger all at once.

That would just make a mess of the whole situation so he huffed and closed his eyes while sliding to his knees.

Meanwhile, Lenalee just sat trying to understand what she was missing. Did they want her to leave? Was that a subtle way to let her know she overstayed her welcome? Was she just not able to read the signs? The questions bounced around her skull like a tennis ball. She didn't know the answers but it hurt. Like his voice was stabbing her with a knife as she replayed what happened in her mind.

She didn't wake up early to cook that next morning. She spent so much time thinking about what Tyki meant when had yelled at her. If she didn't matter then they could clearly make food for themselves. She felt bad about it but took her time getting ready for work instead.

Business was slow. Not that she was expecting anything different. There were sales here and there. It was the same people she had seen come there regularly and one or two new faces. She only had to ring up one customer while the owners were out. The rest of the time, she spent in the back restocking and moving products to look more appealing.

During those periods, she spent most her time thinking. Lenalee had enough money at that point that she could buy a ticket and go somewhere new, not necessarily to the Order. As if they would even take her back, she laughed. She could find a quiet home where no one lives and avoid the war entirely.

That sounded nice.

She could plant a small garden of fruits and vegetables. Get a job to pass the time or maybe learn to knit? Maybe sew more and start a business with that... Then at dinner, she could cook a warm meal and ask Tyki about his day as they smiled and ate together—

She stopped and breathed deeply. _No,_ that would not happen.

That wouldn't ever happen. She needed to stop thinking about him. She didn't matter that much to him. Wisely just likes to mess with people.

Even though she told herself that, Lenalee imagined stupid scenarios where they could be together without worry of their real lives the rest of her day — it was a terrible addiction. Small things like adjusting his tie before he left all the way to the things she could never even imagine telling another person.

Thinking made her unbelievably depressed lately she noticed.

When she got home with their groceries, Lenalee was surprised to find dinner already prepared. The places were set while everyone waited in their seats for her. She cautiously took her place and looked at them all.

Clark and Eeez shrugged while Momo tried to point at Tyki without him noticing. Wisely just ignored it all in favor of watching his frog exist. "What is all this?" Lenalee asked eyeing the bread and pasta.

"It's the only thing besides fish that I can make," Tyki replied. He wouldn't look at her. "If you're leaving you shouldn't have to cook." She hung her head in understanding. They really didn't want her there...

The two out of the loop whipped their heads to him then her, awestruck. "What?! You didn't say anything about leaving, Lenalee," Momo said.

"You don't have to work if you hate it so much! Just quit and stay with us," Clark added right after. "If they don't like that then they can deal with us!" He turned and pointed at Tyki. "And you know about this!? Not cool dude."

"I'm sorry," Eeez said dipping his head. "I shouldn't have told him what I overheard."

Lenalee felt tears prickling at her eyes. "You mean you don't mind if I stay with you?" She rubbed her eyes and bit her lip. "I thought you wanted me to go." She felt so relieved and happy in that moment.

They all talked about what happened and found out where the missing pieces of information were before laughing about how worried Eeez and Tyki were that she would be gone.

Then they made fun of his cooking — edible but almost tasteless. It was the best food he had ever made them considering he actually cooked it.

Lenalee caught him alone after they finished the sad excuse for a meal, smoking against the sidewall of the building. "I thought you quit smoking?" she inquired, leaning next to him. She couldn't quite remember when the last time she saw him smoking was.

The stones were cold and some of the plants growing up the side tickled her neck as she touched the stone. "I thought so too." Tyki looked at her then put it out on the wall. He drew out a long breath, "I just feel better doing something with my hands or mouth when I have something on my mind. It's no big deal."

Lenalee watched silently as he placed the half used cigarette in his pocket. "I don't have to think of anything else but what I'm doing…" She kicked one foot back and forth in the dirt while he lost his train of thought.

Tyki lifted his hand to pat her head when he noticed her watching him space out. She caught it before he could and intertwined their fingers instead. Putting her left hand out, she waited for him to do the same to that. He chuckled while turning to her and did so, noticing how short she was now that they were standing face to face. She didn't quite reach his head.

"You know," Lenalee said timidly, "You don't have to smoke if you want to do something with your hands." She tightened her grip and hoped her palms weren't sweaty.

He grinned and leaned so his forehead touched hers, closing his eyes. "I _do_ like to hold your hands."

"And…" She spoke softly, slowly turning her head up and raising her heels so she could close the gap between their lips. His eyes fluttered open when he felt them connect, warm and soft. Pulling back, she looked away nervously when she saw how shocked appeared. "I like you."

He could feel his heart swell just from the kiss, but hearing her say that… He felt like his heart would erupt. He didn't let her leave as she tried to pull away and apologize. The hold he had on her hands was too strong.

Tyki let go of one to pull Lenalee closer and kiss her again. This time he held onto her neck so it wouldn't end as quickly. It was just as sweet as the last although more forceful than he had intended. Nevertheless, he wanted it to last forever.

Drawing back, he spoke without thinking. His voice was soft and relaxed, not even an inch away. Once the last word left his mouth he realized what he said and just how much he meant it:

"I love you."

Blushing, Lenalee didn't think to respond. She _couldn't_ think. She bit her lip, bashfully looking up at the noah. Tyki wrapped his arm around her back and held her tight. "Is that okay?" He asked to which she nodded furiously. She held his hand tighter and smiled into his chest until the corners of her mouth hurt.

For the next few days, they didn't act very different from usual. The changes being that their moods were brighter and Tyki was much more conscious of how much he spent time touching her. He still patted her head and grabbed her hand but it didn't feel the same. He wasn't concerned about her swatting him away like when they first became friends but rather he didn't know what her boundaries _were._ That made him nervous.

He thought that kissing her once — to know what she tasted like, to know how soft her lips were, to feel her relax in his arms — would make him less distracted but now he thought of her even more. Not just wondering when the next time he could hold her tightly would be but also what she wanted him to do.

Then the group moved on to a new town a week later. It was about the same as the last, a mining town that wasn't too big but not quite a village. The house they found to stay in was smaller, with only a few rooms, so they were back to sharing rooms.

Eeez was the first to lay claim to a room. It was the smallest — most likely a child's room before it was left — complete with a bed and desk.

All four men decided to pile together in the master bedroom. Whoever didn't fit would get the floor, however.

Lenalee took the last empty room in the house. It was the dustiest, perhaps a storage room, she figured. Despite offering to share the room with Eeez, the boy declined to say he was old enough to sleep by himself. The others helped her make a place to sleep — a relatively thick mat that they piled with blankets, but it would work. She'd slept worse places on missions.

She liked their hours better in the new town. They had long lunches where they could eat at home or take them to go with a quick hello. And she found that the prices of goods were even better. Eeez didn't have to work either so instead of working, she taught him what she knew at his desk. If they had time, she took him to play with kids in the area or played with him.

In a way, she felt like a mom and wondered if her life could have been like that if her parents hadn't died and she hadn't gone to the Black Order in the first place. To have a mother teach her things while the rest of the family was away.

"Isn't it past lunch?" Eeez asked after showing her his math problems to check. "No one has come back from work to eat with us today."

Lenalee scanned the page and nodded. "You did great this time. Why don't we go bring them lunch as a reward? You can tell them how proud I am of how fast you're picking things up!" She ruffled his hair as she stood to find a box for the food she had made. He smiled and ran to the kitchen so he could start organizing the sandwiches so they would fit when she came with a container.

At the mine, she had looked for them while Eeez waited on a nearby bench with everything. Wisely was the first one she found. He was being scolded for slacking off — not that that was a surprise to her. Another worker told her Momo and Clark were on their way up from deeper in the tunnels so all that was left was Tyki.

He found her.

She was about to ask about his whereabouts from the same man that informed her where the other two were when he snuck up behind her and picked her up. She let out a startled cry but wasn't scared when she noticed that the people around them were chuckling.

"Put me down," she said sternly. He laughed at her and couldn't stop from grinning.

Tyki replied with a jovial lit in his voice, "What if I don't want to? I kinda like seeing you caught off guard."

She pouted and crossed her arms, "I won't give you any food then."

"I'm not hungry right now. This is more fun," he teased. A few people laughed at his joke while they worked. They knew he was hungry, having complained about having a late lunch just a few minutes before she had arrived.

"Come on," she groaned, "what if I say please?"

He hummed as if he were considering it. "Tempting, but no."

"What do I have to do then?" she asked and tried to blow her bangs up despite them being too short to do that well.

"Let me kiss you senseless?" He said half-joking. The man closest to them fumbled with his tools for a moment as she gave a slight noise of affirmation.

Not even a second passed before her feet touched the ground. "I didn't think you would say yes," Tyki said only to be met with a finger on his mouth when she turned to face him.

Lenalee covered his mouth as she smiled cheerfully. There was a noticeable level of silence around them as they continued to speak. "Later then, okay?"

"S-sure," he nodded, feeling his heart skip a beat. "So... lunch?"

"Eeez has everything on the bench by the main office sign." Lenalee left before he could ask any more. While he was left awestruck by her, some of his co-workers took the opportunity to poke fun at him.

Lunch was almost too much for her to handle when Momo and Clark arrived. The news of them being a couple spread within the twenty minutes it took for them to all find the meeting spot. Wisely was no doubt an accomplice to the spread of information from the sly smirk that crept across his face. Tyki just sighed as his friends bombarded him with questions about how it happened and why they weren't told. Once they were finished interrogating him over sandwiches, she had to deal with it too.

On the way back, Eeez skipped back ahead of her. He was by far the happiest to hear how the two of them became a couple. She stayed farther back, feeling a little bad for accidentally keeping it from Clark and Momo. The two of them had thought that everyone would have been told by Wisely as soon as he found out and that they just didn't feel the need to mention it.

When Eeez and Lenalee returned she let him go out while she cleaned up and prepared dinner. Through the dinner, she and Tyki look at each other and smile awkwardly before looking away. After the first five times they all ignored the obvious attention the pair paid to each other, then Wisely finally couldn't take it and spoke up. "Will you two stop or get a room? I want to enjoy my food in peace without to two giving each other more goo goo eyes than normal."

"I don't mind if they're happy," Eeez said taking another helping. He didn't mind the attention because if anything that meant Tyki could keep Lenalee there.

Wisely pretended to gag while the rest of them laughed. Momo smirked, "Sounds like someone's jealous," he teased lightly while bumping the younger noah on the side.

"Eww," was his immediate reply, "if you haven't noticed, I'm quite happy with my lovely Froggy." With that, he presented his pet frog from his coat pocket and sat her on the table as he finished his meal.

When she finished the dishes from their meal, Lenalee went to her room and immediately flopped down on the blankets. Content with the air that was forced out of the fluffier ones, she let herself sink into them.

Tyki looked in the open doorway as he walked by and chuckled, "You look comfortable." He opened the door more and stood in the doorway to watch her.

"I am," Lenalee sighed. Her arms and legs were spread out as if she were about to make a snow angel. He couldn't help but shake his head at how nonchalant her attitude was.

"I'll let you be since you're busy then," He joked as he leaned over and grabbed the door handle to close it so she could sleep. Lenalee moved to the side so there was plenty of room and patted the indent that she had made while smiling up at him.

He stood speechless as she waited for him to come down to where she was. "You do know you just invited me to your bed, right?"

Lenalee cocked her head, "It's not the first time if I remember correctly." They'd slept together and laid next to each other at least twenty times, probably more and there had never been an issue. Well, there _was,_ but they never cared before.

A sly grin crept across her face as it clicked. "Are you nervous?" His eyes widened as he ran his fingers through his hair. Before he could retort, she caught her chance to tease him. "I think I might like seeing Tyki Mikk, the scary noah, not know what to say when a girl invites him to spend time alone." She laid on her back and grinned up at him as he pouted. "Come on- it's cute!"

"Move or I lay on you," he said before plopping down next to her. Then he poked her nose, "Does the pretty exorcist, Lenalee, have a problem with that?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled at him before they both broke out in laughter.

He sighed and stretched out. Lenalee rolled onto her stomach before propping herself up with her elbows. They smiled at each other for a quiet moment, then she folded her arms and placed her head near his shoulder.

Tyki reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, letting them ghost across her skin, "You shouldn't be so willing to give in to what I want… I might not know when to stop and I don't think I could stand hurting you."

"Is this about you being a noah?" Lenalee asked quietly. He moved his fingers so they rested underneath her hair against her neck. "I know you wouldn't hurt me."

"It's not that," Tyki cut off. He glanced at the door. He had made sure he shut it before joining her, but it would hurt to look and be absolutely certain. "...It's nothing."

Lenalee huffed and scooted up to be at his eye level. "It obviously isn't nothing. Why do you think I wouldn't like what you do? I know you've killed people, people I was close to even, and since I'm here now I don't think that is an issue, so what's wrong?" She knit her brow as she tried to figure out what it could be that he wasn't telling her.

He gulped, covering his face with his hands. "It's me. That's what's wrong." He put his hands down and looked at her earnestly, trying his hardest not to look away. "When we're together, I want to touch you but not in an _innocent_ way." He took a hold of her wrist and brought it up to his mouth, watching as Lenalee blushed at his words when his lips pressed against her skin. "I feel terrible because I've felt this way even before I knew you liked me."

Lenalee bit her lip as Tyki brought the tips of her fingers to brush against his lips. His other arm pulled her closer, leaving her not much choice but to rest her other hand on his chest. "There's so much I want to do to you," he mumbled, "more than just hold you and kiss you." Tyki closed his eyes and sighed. "That's what's wrong."

"Then do more," Lenalee said. Immediately opening his eyes to look at her, Tyki blinked a few times not sure if he heard her correctly. "I'll tell you if I don't like something."

He smiled and nodded his head. "If you say so, then do you mind if I start with our deal from this afternoon?" Speaking, Tyki brushed the strands of hair on Lenalee's cheek behind her ear.

She giggled and pecked his nose, "I don't see why not."

Tyki didn't waste a moment longer and captured her lips in his. As he did so, Lenalee could feel him smile into the kiss, his hand letting go to cup her cheek. He didn't keep it there long as he slowly caressed her skin until it rested on her shoulder — his thumb tracing circles around her collarbone.

Unintentionally, she let out a frustrated moan when he pulled away. Her face heated up when she saw the smirk that graced his face at the noise. He didn't stop to comment as he leaned back in to kiss her.

Instead of returning to her lips, he started with her jaw and slowly, slowly trailed down. He kissed all that was exposed before undoing the top few buttons of her shirt and continuing to lay tender kisses on her body. She sighed, involuntarily pulling at his shirt as she balled it in her fist — her back arching her closer the farther he traveled.

He slowly lifted her shirt with his free hand not bothering to undo the buttons. Each time he exposed more of her skin, Tyki would glance up to see her reaction. Her lips red from their earlier kissing or her biting them he wasn't sure.

Tyki stopped again when he had lifted her shirt as far as it would go without pulling it over her bra. He sat up and pushed her shoulder so she was completely on her back, straddling her before she could sit up. "What now?" Lenalee asked, covering her stomach with her arms slightly.

"I was going to keep going," Tyki replied, "unless you had something else in mind." He leaned down so he could kiss her cheek, putting his hands on either side of her head.

Lenalee stopped him, gently pushing at Tyki's chest. She moved her arms back, undoing the remaining buttons on her shirt before pulling her arms out. "It seemed like you were having some troubles," She said pulling him into another kiss— arms wrapped around his neck. Tyki deepened the kiss, his hands traveling to touch all that was in the open for him.

Running her fingers through his hair, down his neck and back, Lenalee pulled him even closer. He groaned in response, caressing her hips with more force. He returned to her neck, nipping at the skin more intently. Her breathing became uneven as his attention sent shivers down her spine.

As she adjusted her legs to hopefully ease the tension building in her, she concentrated on repeating what she had just done, running her hands down his back, wanting him to feel good. This time she didn't hear him but could feel his shaky breath ghost across her. Trying to hear more, Lenalee pushed his shirt up, massaging his back until she heard a low growl tear from his throat.

The next thing she realized, he had grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the side of her head. Panting, Tyki took a moment to collect himself before speaking, "I don't know if you've noticed before but my scars are _very_ sensitive and that combined with all the noises you make makes it so hard to hold back."

"Then don't," Lenalee whispered. To emphasize her point, she lifted her leg, deliberately rubbing at his crotch.

Tyki couldn't help but laugh in a breathy voice, "You know I was worried that I might be pushing you and all but it seems like we both have the same thing in mind." He let go of he wrists to sit back and threw his shirt off — it had been too hot for him for more than a few minutes but he was too focused to stop. Meanwhile, Lenalee sat up and unhooked her bra, taking it off and setting it aside before covering her breasts with her hands.

Seeing her do this, Tyki sighed, "It's a shame there are no lights in here."

"I know you can see me, Tyki," she cooed.

"And you look lovely," he said with a smile. She smiled in return and relaxed her shoulders.

They sat across each other — both half naked — for short while waiting for the other to make a move before they both chuckled. Lenalee moved closer and let Tyki pull her onto his lap. As she pressed against his erection he moaned and kissed her cheek, bucking his hips up.

They ground against each other for a few minutes. Tyki's fingers roaming her as she moaned into his ear like music. She placed one hand on his shoulder and let the other slide down until it rested against his lower abdomen.

Impatient, Tyki was prepared to push her back so he could remove her shorts but stopped when he couldn't feel them underneath her skirt. His eyes, keen to continue searched her face for any signs of hesitation as he moved to pull his pants down.

She took a deep breath as she lifted herself, waiting for him to let her know that he was ready.

"Are you fine with this?" he asked cautiously. "This is your first time isn't it?"

Lenalee briskly tapped his nose and smirked. "Of course, I'm fine. I wouldn't have gone this far if I wasn't after all." She nuzzled the crook of his neck. "I love you. Even if you take too long to tell me things."

Humming, Tyki kissed her shoulder. "Mind letting go for a little then?" He asked softly as she nodded and moved away a little. While he took a condom out and put it on Lenalee kicked her underwear and skirt off. She looked up at him and then away before twiddling her fingers and looking back. "We can still stop," Tyki said watching her.

She shook her head and moved back to him. "I was just waiting for you," she whispered in his ear. He chuckled and kissed her cheek, pulling her close.

As she climbed back into his lap, she placed her arms around his shoulders and waited for him to position himself at her entrance. "If this even hurts a little I want you to stop," Tyki said as he placed a hand on her hip. The other gripped one of her blankets as he resisted the urge to thrust up. She settled down slowly, not feeling any pain but hoping this would make her body adjust to the new sensations faster.

"It doesn't hurt," she mumbled, leaning on his shoulder, "it's just… new." He laughed in a breathy voice.

Leaning his head back after a short time, Tyki frowned, half-joking when he spoke, "If you don't move, I'm going to go crazy…"

Lenalee used him to keep steady, her hands pushing on his chest as she moved. Tyki kept his hand on her hip while she moved to maintain a slow and gentle pace. His other one, he brought to her neck so he could pull her closer and lay kisses on her.


	14. Chapter 14: The Picture to My Frame

Just a small reminder if you weren't aware, I update more often on my Ao3 account. Additionally, I have more stories posted there!

Please enjoy!

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"You two sounded busy last night," Wisely said as he ate his breakfast with dead eyes. He cut the eggs in front of him into tiny pieces, only taking an occasional bite. "Wish you would have been quieter for the ones who couldn't sleep."

Mono ignored him as he reached across the table for more eggs. In the meantime, Tyki shook the table, practically jumping to cover Eeez's ears.

"Wisely!?" He shouted frantically. As he scanned the boy's face, Eeez continued to calmly chew and swallow. "I can't believe you," he said.

Clark looked up in confusion. He wasn't sure what they could be talking about. From what he remembered, Tyki had left to see how Lenalee was while everyone did their own thing and went to bed. In that moment of realization, he gaped at Tyki until Mono realized what the blond meant by "busy."

"You two moved fast," Momo slowly said, He was unsure if this an appropriate approach to the topic. Tyki laughed awkwardly and nodded, also unsure of where to move in the conversation, as he sat back down to resume eating.

"How the hell can you consider weeks of unresolved tension 'moving fast' is beyond me, Momo." Clark shook his head and was about to say more when Lenalee pulled up a chair. He settled on a sigh, "Whatever, just don't try to make another mouth to feed without talking about it."

Lenalee piled food on her plate with pursed lips before sitting down in her spot between the other youngest of the group. "Tyki," she said, taking a large bite.

"Blame Wisely," He responded without hesitation.

That she did.

Lenalee rammed her elbow into his side in a split second, barely allowing him the chance to read what she was planning on doing. There were no hard feelings in the action, it was an eye for an eye and he could tell from the apathetic face she continued to calmly eat with that she didn't regret the pain she was inflicting on his ribs.

He gripped the table with one hand and his side with the other, wheezing. "Jesus," Wisely exclaimed, "Do you pull any punches?!"

Lenalee reminisced for a moment before speaking. "Not really," confessed. Tyki nodded in agreement as he touched his jaw.

Unsurprisingly, the breakfast continued without a hitch. Lenalee didn't mind that she and Tyki's night wasn't a secret. There was no reason to keep it hidden and it felt like a load off her chest to be more open.

Eeze worked on a sheet of problems Lenalee had given him until he became stuck on a long division question. Lenalee struggled to explain the concept a first but he ultimately arrived at the correct answer. Four more problems like that and she decided it was enough for that day.

The two walked into town to window shop and chat for a good hour. At that point they found several children a little younger than Eeze to visit with.

As the three children told Eeze about their days, a woman emerged from the shop and took notice. "I haven't seen you before," she said looking at Lenalee with confusion.

"I have only been in this town a week, Miss," Lenalee smiled. The town folk didn't normally pay much attention to her whether she went out to shop alone or was with Eeze like that moment.

The woman studied her longer to Lenalee's displeasure. "You wouldn't happen to be from the Black Order?"

There it was. Lenalee gulped but didn't say a word. She merely shook her head.

"But that's where exorcists are from isn't it?" Eeze pulled away from the other kids to ask.

The little girl tugged on the sleeve of the woman. "What's an exorcist, mommy?"

"They're nice people that keep the world safe from akuma," she said leaning down to speak to her daughter.

Lenalee excused herself and lead Eeze away by the hand. She didn't know what prompted the woman to ask her about the Order but it sent a cold sweat down her spine.

As they returned home, Lenalee closed the door and lingered at the handle. The possibilities of why the mother asked her that were endless and, frankly, few were good. She scrunched her brow and could almost taste how unpleasant this ordeal was.

"Lenalee?"

Her head shot up as she turned around and faced the boy. "Yes, Eeze?" She asked coming over.

"You looked upset," he said. When he looked at her his eyes were almost darker and tense.

It wouldn't do good to worry him for the time being, she thought as she relaxed. Lenalee took him into a hug. "Sorry for worrying you." She didn't need to bottle up — this wasn't the Black Order after all. "I'll be alright and explain it all when everyone is home."

Holding true, Lenalee reiterated the encounter to the four after they stopped by on break. They agreed that to minimize the chance of her going back, Lenalee would best stay indoors. Mainly children and shopkeepers knew who she was and their "house" wasn't technically residential so that helped.

The days passed quickly and soon another week went by. She accepted that all she could do to keep busy when Eeze went out to play was to clean, cook, or make lesson plans. Because of that, he had a nice stack of things to learn over time. Meanwhile, the men began picking up the groceries as a detour on their walks back since she no longer went out.

"Do you think we can go out and play together soon?" Eeze asked turning his head towards her. The two were laying on the floor making pictures using grass he had pulled from nearby.

She arranged some of the shreds into a circle and looked at Eeze's creation. "Are you making a forest?" He nodded with a smile as he added little trunks to the pines. "It's probably been long enough that there's no reason to worry. When looking for Cross, we didn't stay much more than this looking for information."

"Okaay…" he dragged out. Eeze stretched and looked at Lenalee's circle. "If you rip more grass up then you can make some clouds!"

Lenalee smiled with crinkled eyes. "Sure thing," she chimed.

She set the pieces out in haphazard ovals. Halfway through the third one, there was a knock on the door. "Coming," Lenalee called out as she set out enough to finish what she could of the cloud with the grass in her hand.

She stood up and walked the door, wiping her hands on the dark skirt she wore. Her fingertips were tinted green but it was inconsequential as she reached for the handle and opened the door. Rather, her mind choose that moment to remind her of something important.

No one in this family knocks to come in the house.

She slammed the door as soon as connected that this was bad news. The brief moment allowed her to just see a glimpse of black clothing in the light of the setting sun. Unfortunately, they had other plans, pushing on the door so that weight leaned on it both ways.

"Go away!" Lenalee yelled and pressed her body against the door harder to keep her feet from slipping.

"No," she heard Allen's voice strain. "Let me in!"

"No," cried Eeze who ran to push the door with her. It did very little good but it was the thought that counted as she activated her innocence and forced her heels into the ground.

Doing the same, Allen gained more traction in opening the door, more noticeably, they were cracking the wood from their differing leverage points. Allen pushed harder as Lenalee took a moment to pull Eeze out of the way and tumbled through the top of the now broken door. "What the—" he shouted, "Lenalee?!"

She looked at Eeze, he was confused but otherwise fine, and then to the door pieces. She wrinkled her nose and grimaced.

"Allen," she puffed, "fix that door this instance!"

He gaped and tried to stand up, hitting his leg with a large chunk of it still stuck to his innocence. He winced and kicked it off. When he looked back up, Lenalee crossed her arms and addressed Allen again, "There's no way I'm going back. Now, if you would please, fix the door."

"We both broke it," he reasoned. They broke it so they should fix it. That was only fair to the white head.

Her mouth twisted as she looked to the ground. Lenalee didn't say anything, instead choosing to turn and walk away.

Allen started after her but the boy tugged on his cloak. "It's better if we just leave her for a bit."

Reluctantly agreeing, Allen and Eeze talked while he picked up the pieces of wood on the ground and piled them on the table. The two sat together and pieced the fractured back together until it looked decent enough. There were still holes in it from Allen's hand but he decided to ignore that.

They carefully picked it up and brought it to what was left of the door. "Steady now," Allen warned as he tilted it so they could connect the "two" pieces. Eeze shut his eyes and turned his face away as he helped the exorcist put it in place. "Now move your hands a little higher," he instructed. Eeze did so and Allen assessed that this was as good as they were going to get. He carefully closed the door and the two slowly stepped back while watching it.

As it didn't crumble back into a hundred pieces, the two smiled and looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Not bad," was what they tried to convey to each other. Neither would say it as the door would, very apparently, never be what it once was.

"Oh!" Lenalee entered the room with a tray of snacks in hand. "I brought snacks," she said coyly, "I hope that wasn't a lot of trouble."

Eeze raised his hand and spoke cheerfully, "It was like a puzzle!"

"That's good," she said. Lenalee set the tray down and left to return with drinks as the boys sat down. "Now, Allen…"

He looked at her forced smile. "Yes?" Allen responded.

"I know you're here with others, but please, don't let them know I'm here..." Her voice dulled along with her expression.

"Krory and Link are with me but they didn't know I was coming here," he admitted. "I only knew where to find you because I spotted where Tyki was coming to work from while I was asking questions with Link at the mines."

Eeze frowned as Allen talked. "You don't have to tell your work friends where Lenalee is," he mumbled.

Allen's eyes moved to the boy while he ate. They didn't say anything for a while, sipping on the water and avoiding eye contact.

"Link will probably be pretty angry when I get back," Allen said dryly.

Lenalee didn't acknowledge the statement and looked at the door. The sun was almost down so it wouldn't be long before the three returned from work.

The exorcist continued, "That aside, everyone misses you. Komui was furious when he heard you ran off with Tyki and Wisely… so was his brother." Allen faked a laugh as he remembered seeing Sheril Kamelot march through the Order and demanded to know where Tyki and Lenalee were right to Leverier's face, no hesitation. "The good news is they aren't calling you missing in action. You're on 'vacation.'"

"Vacation?" She questioned. "Last time I checked Central was accusing me of something I didn't do and only let me have that time off as a move for more control and money."

Allen's smiled twitched but he couldn't say she was wrong. "Well anything noah related is a pretty big deal. Sleeping with Tyki on a mission especia—"

Lenalee slammed her hands on the table and stood in one motion. "You of all people know we didn't sleep together, Allen!"

"That's not what Wisely said." Eeze tilted his head as Lenalee's eyes widened. She could feel face redden in the process.

Allen stood, his chair making the same ear grating noise as it scraped against the floor. As he was about to respond, the three heard a series of thumping noises.

They turned their heads to the door where Tyki stood, a doorknob in hand, as the pieces of wood fell around the sad excuse for a door. "Oops," he said pushing what was left of it open with his foot and tossing the knob aside.

Momo and Clark sighed and walked around Tyki to come in the house. Clark placed the bags of food he was carrying in the kitchen while Momo took a seat and looked at Lenalee.

"What the hell happened while we were gone?" He asked.

"Allen did?" She wasn't sure where the right place to start was.

The one in question apologized for very literally barging in before they all sat down and ate an extremely awkward meal. It was complete with Tyki being glared at by Allen and Wisely taking the opportunity to use the lack of conversation to share Froggy's wonderful qualities with the group before everyone slowly excused themselves from the table when they could take no more.

When it was left to Allen, Lenalee, Tyki, and Wisely, the mind reader ceased his rant on frogs. He exhaled with a smile, "That took longer than I thought. Then again, I could go on about her all night if I felt like it."

"Excuse me," Allen said taking the last helping of food.

"I was waiting for all the humans to go to bed," he deadpanned, "Well, all but this one." He gestured to Lenalee.

Head resting on her palm, she spoke without a care. "Wisely's a noah."

"Of course he is," Allen sighed.

"Hey," he retorted, "You aren't even a little bit surprised?"

His forehead creased. "Should I be?"

"Whatever," Wisely said. "Want to live with us?"

As if on cue, Allen gagged on his food and had to hit his chest to prevent himself from choking. Tyki played with his fork, rubbing it between his fingers while Lenalee watched. Wisely kept his eyes on the white haired exorcist patiently.

"What?" He finally said in disbelief.

"Do you, Allen Walker, want to live with us?" Wisely reiterated. "We had an elaborate plan to force you to make a choice but since you're here. I might as well ask you now."

Tyki's mouth curved into a smile. "I think it could be fun. All the noah living together."

Allen whipped his head to Lenalee, trying not to give her a dirty look. "Do you know about this?" He asked, just barely able to keep his voice hushed.

"Not really," She admitted. "All I know is that it was the Earl's idea."

"The Earl— Lenalee?!"

"Shhh," they all hushed him as he bent the fork in his hand.

He took a few deep breaths and cracked his neck in an strive to relax his rigid shoulders. It didn't work as well as Allen hoped. In fact, he felt more stressed.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of this." Allen rubbed his temples and looked at the three of them. Tyki, clearly disappointed from the way he rolled his eyes, pretended that Allen's clear yet not outright refusal did not bother him. Lenalee looked away from the table biting her lip as she thought. Wisely… Wisely just stared at him and smiled.

Said noah raised a brow in question. "So... What will it be?"

"What do you think?" Allen retorted. He stood to leave, pulling his jacket on without bothering to button it up. "I won't tell them where you are… just use a fake name if you actually planning on not getting caught Lenalee." He balled his fist and headed for the doorway a little upset that he didn't even have the option to slam it on the way out.

He just wished things were less complicated.

"Allen," he heard Lenalee call after having walked a fair distance away.

When he turned, he could see her silhouette outlined from the light emitted from indoors. She said his name again as she turned the opposite direction. All he could do was walk away or say something since she was unable to tell where he was in the dark of the night.

"Did I forget something?"

She turned around and walked towards him slowly. "N-no," she answered, scratching the side of her face. "I wanted to say that I feel bad."

He didn't respond, just narrowed his eyes.

"I'm happy here but I know I left everyone else behind. That—" She lowered her head and voice. "It was never my intention to make everyone miss me. I just… I just felt so lonely there. I know it was my fault. But—"

Allen put his hands on her shoulders. They were shaking. "It's okay," he comforted, "I was being unreasonable too." She sniffled and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I saw how miserable you were and I won't lie: it will be like that when you get back because as much as the ones who know you love you, the ones who don't know you have spread some pretty nasty rumors."

"It hasn't been easy for me either but you know that," He laughed, hugging her. She was shorter than he remembered. He had actually grown in the time apart but that didn't cross his mind. "I won't go with the noah. I'm not one of them."

She nodded and pulled away. "I understand." Lenalee gulped. "Could we talk in the morning more? You don't have to leave right now…"

Allen sighed, "I'll tell Link I fell asleep while I was looking for you…"

Nearly knocking him over, Lenalee hugged him tightly. Not only that, but she hit him with a barrage of thank you's.

"Welcome home," Tyki said, shuffling a deck of cards at the table as they walked in.

Allen frowned at the words but Lenalee perked up at the sound. "We're home!"

The oldest looked up and blinked at them before shaking his head and letting them know Wisely went to bed. Thus, the three of them decided they would bunk together in Lenalee's room.

It was a tight fit, to say the least. The three of them laid in a row to make just enough room for the blanket to cover them. Allen could not conclude whether it was more uncomfortable to have the noah spooning him or to be spooning his friend as he was stuck between the two.

No matter what, it was _easily_ an unforgettable night.

In the morning, Allen emerged from the room with baggy eyes and the single wish that he could just sleep. Lenalee, to a lesser extent, wanted the same but only because she preferred where it was warmer as she did not have to listen to Tyki talking the whole night.

"You look like hell man," Clark said offhandedly as Allen meandered to the table.

Allen nodded, closing his eyes, as Lenalee spoke for him. "Tyki took the opportunity to spend a while catching up with Allen last night."

"He wouldn't stop talking," the boy moaned, dragging his feet on the ground.

She had to stifle her laughter. They ate and chatted more smoothly after Allen assured the rest of the group that he would not inform the Order where she was. Tyki joined later, unbelievably well rested to Allen's severe displeasure.

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I'm setting a rough estimate of this being done around chapter 20! I doubt it will be that exact one but things will be nearing their end for this fic.

I want to fix the many cans of worms I've opened up before it's all over so I'll be moving away from the romance as the focus of the upcoming chapters to progress the plot more.

Thank you very much for reading! In the meantime, any reviews or thoughts on the chapter would be greatly appreciated! :)


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